


Angel's Kiss

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Jo Harvelle, Castiel Has Feelings for Dean Winchester, Castiel Likes Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Charlie Flirts With Jo, Charlie Has A Crush On Jo, Cover In Danger Of Being Blown, Danger, Dean Has Feelings For Castiel, Dean Winchester Likes Castiel, Detective Dean Winchester, Detective Jo Harvelle, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Flustered Jo Harvelle, Guns, Happy Ending, Jo Harvelle & Dean Winchester Friendship, Jo Is Fed Up With Dean, M/M, References to Drugs, Risks Being Taken, Tainted Drugs, Undercover Dean, Undercover Jo, Undercover Missions, drug bust, drug ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-14 14:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 25,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: When a dangerous drug starts making rounds in a local high school, Captain Singer knows he has to put a stop to it quick.  He needs to get it off his streets, but in order to that he has to get all the way to the top of the chain, and to do that he has to find the people distributing the drugs.  He makes the decision to send in two of his young detectives, undercover as students to work their way up that chain, starting with locating the users and dealers.  Should be simple enough, right?  Nothing is ever that simple where Dean Winchester is concerned though.  The man is smart and dedicated, and he's quick to figure out who the dealers are.  Falling for one of the students he was trying to fit in with was not part of the plan, and it puts the entire mission in danger.  Things are made even worse when his partner Jo goes and does the same damn thing.  Maybe Captain Singer needs new detectives.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt out of a group I'm in on FB. It was supposed to be one where we took turns writing chapters, but no one else wanted to participate, so I just kept going. Eventually everyone just started persuading me to put it up on here and continue it, so that's what I will be doing. 
> 
> Now, I'm going to add to it tomorrow hopefully, but I'm dealing with a lot right now with my mom. We're at the end now. She has stopped eating, isn't responding, isn't talking, isn't waking up at all now. Tonight they took away the saline and antibiotics. She's only on morphine now, so it's just a matter of time. I've never cried so much in my life. I didn't feel much like writing today. I had to call the family today and ended up in a fight with my aunt who decided she still has the right to be disrespectful and condescending to me, even at my age. She's not going to like me very much when she shows up. I'm done with her attitude. Everyone else was fairly decent. I'm beyond emotionally exhausted at this point.
> 
> This is the prompt as it was put up in the group, so you all know what it was. I took it, and I ran with it. Please bear with me, I am writing this as an escape, to give myself something to concentrate on besides how much pain I'm in, and how much my heart is breaking, but I'm also being inundated with texts, pm's and phone calls with friends and family members, plus palliative care and doctors keep coming in, as well as nurses and other staff, and I just haven't had a moment to even catch my breath in days. I have maybe a day or two left with my mom, and I just...I don't know what to do or how I'm supposed to handle it. I'm trying so hard, but I feel so lost.
> 
> So here's the prompt itself. It's cute, reminded me of 21 Jump Street, so I wanted to change it up a bit and make it different:
> 
>  
> 
> **Cas 18 dorky but still a cool social butterfly, last year of high school. Dean 22 undercover cop as a high school student in Castiels school.**  
>  This is the 1st of a prompt. I think it would be fun if each person who leaves a comment makes the next chapter of the story.  
> anyone interested? i would like there to be smut so for the young ones of u do write smut, worn where ur smut begins and ends.  
> why is Dean undercover?  
> is Dean hung up on only his mission & pushs away Cas?  
> Do they hook up at a party?  
> plus so much more and those r just ideas no need to use em'.  
> LETS HAVE FUN!!!  
> OR anyone can use it to write a story!
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one. It will be ongoing, though for how long, I'm not sure.

 

Captain Singer looked over the files on the desk in front of him. There weren't many detectives he had available to go undercover in a high school to try and ferret out the dealer of the newest drug that was hitting the school hard. Angel's Kiss. Ki ds were dying left and right and they had no leads. The next step was to send someone, or more than one someone in undercover, to try and locate the dealers and their supplier. Preferably before any more kids died. This Angel's Kiss was nasty, laced with fentanyl and a host of other chemicals that was sending kids into a state of pure bliss before putting them in cardiac arrest. He wanted this drug off the streets and out of his schools ASAP.   
  
There were only two detectives he could think of that could pass as teenagers. One still acted like a cocky teen most of the time, to the captain's annoyance. Dean Winchester, 22, out of the academy only a year and a detective a whopping six months. He was as green as they got, but...he was good at his job. Dean came from a long line of cops and despite being cocky, he was professional and dogged in his hunt for the truth. If he was sent in, he'd no doubt fit right in and figure out the chain, right up to the top.   
  
His second choice was Jo Harvelle. That was trickier. Jo was his stepdaughter and her mama would not be happy about him sending her in on an undercover mission, but...she'd been asking for something like this. She was baby faced, looking younger than even Dean, despite being 23, and she had a way with people, of persuading them to offer up information they might not normally be willing to relinquish. He got an idea. Normally he didn't put those two together, they had a tendency to be like oil and water, but if he sent them in together, as brother and sister? They'd have each other's back, and they'd be able to keep each other in line. Lieutenant Jody Mills would be getting a call. She would have to be brought in on this. She was in for one hell of a surprise, she was about to become the faux mother of two ornery detectives turned teenagers. He could already feel the heartburn coming on...

 


	2. Chapter 2

"This is a joke, right? He hates me, that's why he has sent me back to hell." Dean muttered as they walked through the front doors of Huntsville High. Jo just rolled her eyes and adjusted the messenger bag on her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, shut up. I'm here t oo, you moron, and I'm his kid. If he hated you, he'd have to hate me too, and he doesn't. This is an important mission, and he trusted us because we're passable. We're the only ones passable." She looked around. They'd arrived early so the halls were still empty, save for them. "I can't believe you're my brother."   
  
"I can't believe you're my twin. I'm a little sick." Dean looked a little green around the gills which made her laugh. She punched him in the arm.   
  
"I'm older, by seven minutes, doofus. Remember that."   
  
"Whatever." He shoved her away, laughing as they made their way down the main hall. Behind them Jody Mills came walking in. There was a sour look on her face as she came up between them, placing her hands on her hips.   
  
"Where's the office? You're already registered but apparently I have another paper left to sign, and some fees still to pay."   
  
"Over there." Dean pointed to a sign on the right. She nodded and motioned for them to follow her. They headed straight to the office, following her inside.   
  
"Sit." She instructed, going right into mom mode. Dean's lips twitched as he tried not to smile. He lowered his backpack to the floor and sat in the first seat he saw. Jo took the seat next to him. They watched Jody approach the counter and the lady sitting behind it.   
  
"Hello and good morning! How can I help you?" The blonde secretary was extremely cheerful, way too much so for this early in the morning, and Jody seemed amused by it.   
  
"Uh, morning. My kids are new here. I guess there are still some papers to sign, and I got a letter about some book fees that need to be paid still? I came to pay them."   
  
"Oh sure, you betcha! What are your kids names?"   
  
For a split second there both Dean and Jo could see that Jody had blanked on their cover names, but then she remembered.   
  
"Alex and Jenny Campbell."   
  
"Oh, such nice names! Let me look here in the system for them real quick..." She was typing away. "My name's Donna. You kids ever need anything, you just come get me, ok? I'll be happy to help ya."    
  
"Sure." Dean mumbled. Jo grunted in ascent. Jody rolled her eyes. They were playing the part of ornery teenagers quite well.   
  
"Ok, here ya go!" Donna had printed off the form Jody needed to sign, which this time she remembered her alias; Lydia Campbell. Once the fee was paid, Dean and Jo had their books and their class lists in hand. They compared them, wondering what exactly they'd been signed up for.   
  
"I have gym first hour." He said.   
  
"I have it second hour." Jo pointed it out on her list.   
  
"You need to tell me your sizes so I can get you your proper uniform sizes." Donna piped up as she got to her feet.   
  
"Excuse me?" Dean cocked his head. "Uniforms?"   
  
"Oh yeah, the kids here wear school sanctioned tee shirts and shorts. It's mandatory for gym class." She explained. "What size are you?"   
  
"I don't wear shorts." He said firmly, a steely glint in his green eyes as he got to his feet. Donna straightened her back, her own gaze suddenly just as firm.   
  
"You do now."   
  
Jo burst into giggles, she couldn't help it.


	3. Chapter 3

"There are new kids this year."  
  
Cas looked up from opening his locker for just a moment.   
  
"So? I'm sure there are a lot of new people this year. What's your point?"   
  
"In our grade, not the freshman, dummy." His friend Charlie leaned against the locker next to his as he finally got it open and watched as he dumped all of his books into it unceremoniously.   
  
"Why are they transferring in halfway through the school year?" He asked as he grabbed the bag with his gym uniform and slammed the door shut.   
  
'Well, I heard from Gilda that their mom is newly divorced, and she left their dad in some place like, Oklahoma, or Arkansas, and moved her kids here. They're twins. She says they're both hot."   
  
"Boys or girls? Because I'm no interested if they're girls, that's up your alley, not mine." He started walking in the direction of the gym and she followed, falling in step beside him.   
  
"I don't know, she didn't say. I forgot to ask. Wait for me, let me grab my gym clothes." They stopped long enough at her locker so she could grab her gym clothes and she could drop off her own books, then they were on their way again.    
  
At the locker room they parted ways and he headed into the boys to get changed. He nodded at a few of his classmates as he headed for his locker. Changing went quickly and as he was closing his locker door, he spotted a new face. This must be one of the new kids. The guy looked miserable.   
  
"Everything ok?" He asked. The guy started and turned huge green eyes in his direction. Damn, he was hot!   
  
"Uh, yeah, I just, I don't...um, I hate shorts."   
  
"Oh. Well, they're kind of mandatory." Cas shrugged. "It's not that bad. It's only for 50 minutes, then you can put your pants back on. Tomorrow you can put training pants on underneath them if that will make you feel better. A lot of people do."   
  
The other boy seemed to mull that over for a minute. "Yeah, I suppose I could do that. I'm D-uh, Alex." He offered his hand. Cas shook it, feeling a mild thrill at the strength behind it.   
  
"My name's Cas. You're new, are you one of the twins?"   
  
"Wow, word gets around fast." Dean laughed. "But yeah. My sister Jen is here too. Not in this class though, she has gym next hour."   
  
Cas watched as Dean reluctantly shed his jeans and slid on the shorts. He was definitely admiring the view and it must have shown on his face because there was a twinkle in those green eyes the next time he looked up and caught him staring.   
  
"Maybe these shorts are _too_ bad after all."   
  
"No, um, not at all. They, uh, look good on you.." Cas' cheeks heated up as he tried not to stare. It was in vain, Dean was gorgeous. He looked up suddenly as the other boy chuckled and found him stripping off his Metallica tee shirt so he could change into his uniform shirt. It was impossible not to stare at all of that tan skin, dusted in freckles that spread across his shoulders and down his chest. His own blue eyes widened when he saw Dean had tattoos and a barbell in one nipple.   
  
"Your folks let you get tattoos and piercings?"   
  
Dean looked down at his chest and arms, almost as if he'd forgotten he had them there.   
  
"Uh, yeah. Actually, after my parents split my mom did. She's pretty laid back. When I turned 18, I was then legally old enough to do what I wanted, so I got more. I got my nipple pierced at the same shop she got hers done at."    
  
"Whoa..." Cas watched him slide the shirt in place.   
  
"You have any?" Dean asked. Cas shook his head.   
  
"No, but I have plans to get one after graduation. My parents would flip if I got one now, while I'm still at home. But once I leave for college? Fuck them. I'm getting as many as I want."   
  
Dean smiled. "Defiant, aren't you."   
  
Cas smiled back. "I'm the youngest of six. Of course I am."   
  
Dean winked as he headed for the gymnasium. "You're cute too."   
  
He left Cas staring after him, his jaw dropped in shock. Did the new guy really just call him cute?


	4. Chapter 4

Jo was rethinking her stepfather's love for her as she sat through advanced calculus, for the 'third' damn time in her life. Like the first time in high school and college weren't enough. She knew this material like the back of her hand, so she spent t he class peering around at her fellow classmates. Some would overlook the nerds sitting here in this class as possible suspects, but she knew better. They were the ones she was the most suspicious of, because they were smarter than most anyone else, better capable of running their own business selling just about anything without the authorities noticing, unless they wanted them to.   
  
Making friends had never been her strong suit though. Why her dad thought she'd just sweep right in here and suddenly have a hundred friends, she had no idea. Sure, she could talk to people, she was great at conversations, but she lacked the ability to actually make friends with people. That was probably why Dean had been brought in with her. He was amiable, made friends easily, and earned peoples' trust quickly. She planned to use that to her benefit.    
  
Her eyes landed on a girl with the reddest hair she had ever seen and she cocked an eyebrow when the girl smiled brightly and waved. She gave a little half nod and kept scanning the room. Coming back to the front again, she found the red head still staring. Ok, so maybe she could make one friend, and from there branch out, meet other people. Hopefully she didn't earn a reputation as a bitch like she had down at the precinct.   
  
The bell rang announcing the end of class so she closed her book and stuffed it into her bag before standing up. Slinging it over her shoulder, she started for the front of room.   
  
"Hi."   
  
Jo looked over to see the redhead had followed her out of the room.   
  
"Uh, hey."   
  
"I'm Charlie. What's your name?"   
  
"I'm Jennifer. Jen for short."   
  
"Jen, I like that. You're new this year, just transferred in?" Charlie asked. Jo nodded.   
  
"Yep, me and my brother, Alex."   
  
"Is he younger?"    
  
Jo smirked. "By about seven minutes."   
  
Charlie laughed. "Oh! Twins!"   
  
Jo's smile widened. "Yeah, though we don't really look alike. Or act alike. He thinks I'm a bitch and I pretty much think he's a dickhead."   
  
Charlie's laughter grew even louder. "Well, I'm pretty sure that's how it works with siblings. You don't actually love each other until you're like, 30 or something."   
  
That tickled Jo for some reason. She'd actually grown up with Dean and his brother Sam. Their dad was her stepdad's best friend and they'd played together all the time as kids. At one time they'd really been like her brothers. Sam still had a ridiculous crush on her, even though he was the same age she was currently pretending to be. That...was a little weird, or so she'd always thought.    
  
"Maybe. Sometimes we get along enough not to drive our mom too nuts."   
  
"Where are you guys from?" Charlie was still following her as she headed for her history class, one of the three classes she and Dean shared.   
  
"Kansas, originally. But after our folks divorced, mom got a job here. Dad's still there but since we're 18, we came with mom because we wanted to. He's a jerk."   
  
Charlie nodded but didn't say anything about that. Instead she pointed to the hall they'd just turned into. "You have history now?"   
  
"Yep, my brother's in this class with me."   
  
"Cool, who's your teacher? I have history too."   
  
"Uh, Ms. Rowena McCleod?" Jo pulled her paper out again to read the name.   
  
"Sweet! You're in my class! My friends Cas and Gilda are in it too, I'll totally introduce you." Charlie surprised her when she hooked their arms together and yanked her into the second classroom on their left. Right away Jo spotted Dean, leaning against a desk near the back of the room talk to a guy with messy, dark hair and penetrating blue eyes that were locked on Dean's face. When he spotted Jo in return, Dean smiled and waved. Blue eyes stopped talking and turned to see who he was waving at.   
  
"Come here, I'll introduce you. It looks like Cas already met your brother." Charlie said as she dragged her across the room. Dean grinned as they came to a stop in front of them.   
  
"Cas, this is my sister, Jen. Jen, this is Cas."   
  
The guy with the blue eyes smiled and offered her his hand. "It's very nice to meet you. Alex and I have gym together first period, and physics second period. I see you have met Charlie." He mused.   
  
"We have Advanced Calculus together." Jo explained.    
  
"Jen's a nerd." Dean teased.   
  
"And you're not, Mr. Physics and Molecular Sciences?" Jo fired back.   
  
"Molecular Sciences?" Cas and Charlie echoed. Jo, realized her mistake too late but Dean, always so smooth just played it off. He gave an exaggerated sigh and waved her off.   
  
"You're just jealous that I got accepted to that junior scientist program last year and you didn't. It counts as full credits towards my college degree. And what will you have? Your winning personality? Yeah, that's going to get you _so_ far."   
  
She knew he was being snarky on purpose, baiting her like an obnoxious brother would naturally do, and like he often did with Sam, so she did what she'd seen Sam do a million times before. Lifting both hands up in the air, she flipped him off.   
  
"You wish I was jealous. I'm still prettier and my SAT's are better, so suck it, bitch."   
  
"Wow, they really are brother and sister." Cas mused. "I think they get along better than I get along with some of my own sisters!"   
  
Dean caught Jo's eye and smiled. They could totally pull this off. She smiled back. Yes, they totally could.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean was leaning against his car after school, legs crossed as he waited for Jo to come out, just watching people as they filed out of the building.  Today had been mostly a day for learning names, familiarizing himself with the different cliques, and memorizing the stupid details of his cover story.  There hadn't been a whole lot of time to get it straight before he and Jo were being thrown back into the hell they had known as high school. 

 

He'd worked hard to graduate early, but here he was, back in it all over again.  At least this time he wasn't still standing with one foot in the closet, barely peeking out because he was terrified of what his father would think.  He'd learned that his father really didn't care that he was gay as long as he was happy and safe.  His concern was that Dean follow in his footsteps and join the force like him, and like his grandfather before him.  Being a cop had always been his dream though, and he was excited to have made it to detective.  He'd excelled in high school, graduating a full year early and then finishing his BA in criminal justice early just so he could join the force that much sooner.  Getting to go undercover was exciting but having to repeat high school?  That  _wasn't_ so exciting.  

 

His eyes scanned the two entrances he could see from where he stood but there was still no sign of Jo.  Where the heck  _was_ she?  

 

"Hey, Alex,"  A deep, familiar voice greeted him.  He almost missed that it was directed at him until the lasts second.  Looking to his right he saw Cas crossing the parking lot towards him from the direction of the track and field.

 

"Hey, have you seen my sister?  She should have been out here by now."

 

"I think she's talking to Lilith Dunbar about signing up for theatre."  Cas came to a stop next to the car, his blue eyes tracing over her sleek lines.  "Wow, your car is beautiful."

 

Dean stood up straight, a proud smile automatically finding its way onto his lips.  "Thanks, my dad gave her to me for my-"  He almost said graduation present.  "Birthday.  Since my grades were so good.  I think it was mostly to make up for the divorce though."

 

Cas nodded sagely.  "Parents do that, they try to make it up to the kids when they're riddled with guilt.  When my dad walked out on my mom, he suddenly showered my sisters and me with presents in the days before he left.  I was suspicious of his behavior though, so I cut school, left like I was going to go, but hid around the side of the house to see what was going on.  My mom and my sisters that are still at home, they all left as usual, but my dad, he worked from home, always did because he's a writer.  I watched him walk out with a bunch of suitcases and load them into the back of his Subaru.  I came out and asked him what he was doing and where he was going.  Scared the crap out of him.  He looked so guilty that right away I knew he wasn't going away on a book tour or to one of his writing workshops.  The son of a bitch was cutting out on his family.  On my mom, on his kids, on everything."  His eyes were watery but there was a quiet rage in them that Dean understood.  He stood quietly and waited for Cas to continue.  Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he finally did.

 

"Anyway, I called him a coward.  Told him anyone that could abandon the people that love him most without so much as a warning was nothing but a weak coward, and my mother was better off without him.  I told him that if he left, he better never even  _think_ of coming back because no one would want him around, not our mom, not my sisters, and sure as hell not me.  Turns out dad was dealing with crippling depression for decades, and anxiety so bad he could barely leave the house most of the time.  We knew he was a nervous little guy but we didn't know just how bad things were.  At home he was just...dad.  Turns out he wasn't running away.  He was taking everything he owned to donate, then going to Wickery Bridge to jump.  He'd left a note for my mother.  I was there to stop him though.  I'd seen the signs that something was wrong and I had stopped him.  I was 15.  It was a lot to put on me at that time.  I thought my dad was leaving my family.  He felt so much guilt over how much of an absent father he felt he was being, and he felt we'd be better off without him.  I called my mom, made her come back home and we drove him to the hospital together.  He got the help he needed and he's still here today.  He's happier, healthier, and he has a will to live that he didn't have for a long time."

 

"Wow.  I'm glad he's doing better.  I take it they found the right medicine combination for him then."  Dean said.  Cas sniffled as he wiped at his eyes and nodded.  "He's way better.  For the first time in my life he's actually a good dad."

 

"That's good.  Better than the one I got stuck with.  My mom's pretty awesome though.  She's there for me and Jen."  Dean felt weird trying to smoothly lay out his cover story.  It was like slipping on a shirt that was three sizes too small; it was very uncomfortable.

 

"How are you liking your new classes?"  Cas wiped at his eyes before looking at him again.  They were so blue it was hard not to stare.

 

"Uh, good, they were good.  Pretty easy stuff.  Think I might join the science club, if they still have an opening."  Dean scratched nervously at the back of his neck.  He didn't really want to sign up for any clubs but Bobby had told them to infiltrate deep, so that's what he was planning to do.

 

"Science club, huh.  That's pretty cool, I guess.  Charlie runs the computer club.  I'm in the gaming club."  Cas was edging closer, which Dean was quite aware of.  He was always aware of his surroundings though, like he could see the blonde guy smoking and watching them over the hood of the Pontiac Firebird parked next to them.

 

"Gaming?  What kind of gaming?"  

 

Cas blushed and looked down at the tops of his shoes.  "World of Warcraft, D&D, Magic the Gathering, probably sounds pretty dull, huh."

 

"No, actually that sounds pretty cool.  I have a D&D character, and my own set of Magic cards.  Think the club has space for me?"  Dean asked.  Cas looked up in surprise.

 

"Seriously?"

 

"Yeah.  Why?"

 

Cas looked a little dumbfounded for a moment.  "Well, you're..."

 

Dean arched an eyebrow, waiting.  "I'm what?"

 

"I think what he's trying to say is that you're too cool to be hanging around with a bunch of nerds.  Or he's too embarrassed to say that he thinks you're a dreamboat."  The blonde flicked his cigarette aside and came around to offer his hand.  "I'm Ash.  You're the new guy, Alex, right?"

 

Dean shook his hand.  "Yeah."  He looked over at Cas who appeared absolutely mortified and smiled.  "Is that true, Cas?"

 

"Oh my god..."  Cas groaned.

 

"Cas here's good people, even if he's a little awkward." Ash was grinning at his friend's embarrassment. Dean's eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement as he looked at Cas. He remembered being embarrassed over crushes not all that long ago.  The thing was, he wasn't here to encourage Cas, or anyone else to flirt. He had a drug problem to solve. That hurt though. Cas was pretty freaking hot, and looking up at him with deep, blue eyes that couldn't hide his interest even if he tried. 

"I don't think he's awkward. Car is pretty cool. I'd like to join the club, if there's room."

"There's room!" Cas blurted, possibly a touch too fast. Dean smiled. 

"Cool. When does it meet?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Saturdays we get together on our own time. You don't have to come, it's not mandatory, but sometimes Ash here brings stuff, and the games turn out to be a little more fun than they usually would be." Cas winked and grinned, and Dean suddenly wondered if he wasn't standing right next to a prime suspect. Tomorrow was Tuesday, he could show up at their club, start playing, and by Saturday he'd maybe have an idea of whether or not Ash was a potential dealer. 

"Dude, we're going to have so much fun." Ash clapped him on the back and offered up a lazy grin. "It's gonna be a blast."

Dean spotted Jo coming out finally. Took long enough, he thought. 

"I'll see you in gym tomorrow." Cas said as Jo reached the car. He was looking hungrily at Dean's legs as he started backing up. Ash snorted as he began walking over to his own car. 

"See you in gym." Dean gave a small salute before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. 

"What was that?" Jo quirked an eyebrow as she slid into the passenger seat. 

"He wants me." Dean said casually as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath something he didn't quite catch. He was pretty sure it as about him being an idiot. 

"We're here to work this case, not get your dick wet with underage kids. Get your head screwed on straight, Winchester." She warned.

"No shit, Harvelle, my head  _is_ in the game. I think I might have a lead. I'll know more Saturday."

"I think I have something too. Lilith Dunbar is very chatty, especially about her boyfriend, Luke. I ran a check , he's been picked up twice on possession charges." She had her phone out and was tapping away on it. 

"Good. We'll work both of these and see where they take us." He said . She nodded in agreement. Thru both hoped one of these panned out. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. So I did write another chapter tonight, mostly to get my mind off things, like how eerily quiet my house is now, and how I'm nowhere near where I need to be to get her ashes back from that funeral home. My new meds are kicking my butt too, making me super tired, and I've been losing time as a result. Not cool. I'm so stressed out it's ridiculous. Writing tonight gave me a brief escape. Hopefully you all like the chapter.

Jo knew Lilith and her boyfriend Luke, aka “Lucifer” had something to do with drugs. It was more of a gut instinct than anything, but in the week she'd been at the school, she'd heard a few rumors floating about. They were enough to make her suspicious and she'd been trying to work her way into their inner circle. It was proving to be harder than she'd anticipated though. 

 

Luke, for starters was suspicious of everyone, especially new people, and he seemed to always have a knack for showing up whenever Jo managed to get Lilith alone, so she never got to question her. Bobby told her she needed to have patience, but really, patience was  _ not _ her strong suit. Now she had gotten herself wrangled into doing a play. If they didn't get this case solved asap, she'd actually have to perform in it. The very thought made her stomach sour. She hadn't done theater when she'd really been in high school because the thought of getting up in front of a crowd like that was terrifying. 

 

Dean was working another angle: the nerds and geeks. He'd run a check on a guy named Ash Harriman and come up with absolutely nothing. Not a single mark on his record, yet Dean had clearly seen a stack of parking tickets on the passenger seat of his car. Ash apparently headed two clubs at school; the gaming club, and the computer sciences club. That, Jo thought, was possibly her way in since Charlie was the co-president of that club. She'd just have to initiate the conversation for once. 

 

The first week went by painfully slow. They were staying with Jody at a fake apartment the precinct owned, and when the first Saturday rolled around, Jo woke up with the belief that she could actually relax for a bit before she dug into more research and tried to find some kind of link. Someone knocking at the front door had her out of bed, gun in hand as she peered into the hall a moment later. Dean was already at the door, his own gun cocked and ready as he stood off to the side. 

 

“Who is it?” He asked. 

 

“Um, it's Cas.” Came the response. Dean immediately put the safety back on and slid the gun into the back of his sweatpants waistband. Jo ducked back into her room and slid her own gun under her pillow while Jody did the same. Dean opened the door and found an absolutely adorable Cas standing there in a Motorhead tee shirt and low slung jeans.

 

“Uh, how did you know where I live?” Dean asked, hoping he sounded casual. He was still half asleep. 

 

“Ash looked it up on the school website. It's almost noon and we get together at noon. I thought maybe we could walk? It's a nice day. I figured you didn't know where Kevin's house was. We're meeting there because his mom is working today. She tends to hover when she's home.” Cas explained. Dean scratched at his chest and looked over at Jody as she walked in the room. She had changed into a shirt and jeans. 

 

“Who's this?” She asked, smiling. Dean felt her move up behind him and smoothly pull the gun from his pants. There was no way he could hide it and return to his room without a shirt and she knew that. 

 

“My name is Cas. Dean joined one of our clubs at school, and we also get together on Saturdays.” Cas offered, his eyes darting over to Dean, and briefly to his bare chest. Jody nodded. 

 

“Ah, the gaming club he talks about. Well, you might want to let him get changed before you drag him off to play games.” The corners of her mouth flipped up in a smirk and Dean started laughing. Cas smiled though his cheeks tinged red. 

 

“O-of course.”

 

“Come on Cas, my room is this way. It's nothing fancy.” Dean started for his room and Cas followed after him. 

 

“You're sure you want me in here? If you have to get dressed, I mean.” Cas was blushing even harder and making a point of looking anywhere  _ but _ at Dean. 

 

“Do I suddenly have some anatomy you're unfamiliar with?” Dean asked as he grabbed a gray tee shirt out of his draw and a clean pair of boxer briefs. He found the jeans he'd worn yesterday and grabbed those too. 

 

“No, of course not.” Cas crossed his arms in a huff and frowned. Even that was adorable. 

 

“Hey Cas, how old are you?” Dean asked as he slid the teeshirt over his head. 

 

“I'm 18, why?”

 

Dean felt a little less dirty about his attraction knowing Cas was of legal age. He just winked and headed for the door. “I'll be back in a minute.”

 

Cas was left to contemplate what that wink meant for all of two seconds before Jo was popping her head in the room, squinting suspiciously at him. 

 

“You here to drag my brother off to that nerdy game thing so you can drool over how green his eyes are and how many freckles he has?”

 

Cas floundered for a moment, his jaw flapping open and close, not knowing how to respond. “What?!” He finally squeaked. She leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. 

 

“I see the way you look at him. You think he's hot, you have a crush. You're gross. He's gross. My mom will kill you if you have sex in here.”

 

He was still gaping at her when Dean came walking back in the room. One look at Cas’ face told him Jo had said something, probably to mess with him. He cocked an eyebrow before turning to look at his partner.

 

“What did you do to him?”

 

“Wouldn't you like to know.” With a flip of her long, blonde hair she turned and left. Dean turned back to Cas. 

 

“What did she say?”

 

“Are you gay?” Cas blurted. Dean blinked in surprise and rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. 

 

“Is that what she told you?”

 

“That's not a yes.” Cas frowned. 

 

“It's not a no either. What did my sister say?”

 

Cas blushed harder than ever. “She, uh, accused me of having a crush on you, and then said your mother would kill us if we had sex in here.”

 

Dean took a deep breath. Damn Jo. She really was like an annoying sister. He'd have to pay her back later. Cas was looking at him with a mixture of hope and fear and shit, he was so damn  _ cute  _ it was ridiculous. Bobby hadn't said they  _ couldn't _ date, and Cas was 18. He wasn't going to sleep with him. He still had a case to solve. 

 

He took a few steps closer, until he was standing right in front of Cas and reached up to tousle his already messy hair. 

 

“For the record, I'm gay, I'm single, and I think you're cute too. My mom wouldn't kill us, per say, but I don't care to find out. Besides, I'm not in any rush.”

 

“Really?” Cas’ eyes were so wide with disbelief. “You like  _ me _ ?”

 

Dean chuckled as he grabbed a pair of socks from his dresser and sat down to put them on along with his sneakers. 

 

“Why wouldn't I? You're pretty awesome, plus you're hot.”

 

Cas sat down slowly beside him as if still in shock. “I'm not exactly unpopular, but I don't think anyone but Charlie has ever called me awesome before.”

 

“Dude, you like all the same stuff I do. That makes you pretty awesome in my book.” Dean sat up when he's finished tying his shoes and looked over to see Cas watching him. Those blue eyes flickered to his lips more than once. He took the hint and leaned in, kissing Cas softly, smiling at the soft gasp that earned him. 

 

“You ready to go kick some orc butt?” He asked as he got to his feet. Cas was still in a daze but he blinked and nodded as he too stood up.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

They headed back towards the living room where Jody was waiting with a sandwich and Dean's flannel, no doubt with his gun tucked inside. 

 

“You need to eat before you go.” She told him. He accepted the sandwich and took a huge bite. 

 

“Thanks, mom.” That still felt weird to say but she took it in stride as she handed over his flannel and gun. 

 

“Have fun, boys.”

 

“We will.” Cas said as they stepped out into the hall.

 

“How far does Kevin live from here?” Dean asked as they left the building and started walking. 

 

“About six blocks. It's not far.” Cas watched him finish the rest of his sandwich in three bites, then slip the flannel on. 

 

“We're going to have a great afternoon.” Dean said, smiling. Cas smiled back. 

 

“Yes, we are.”


	7. Chapter 7

Kevin Tran lived in a modest, two story house that fit in well with all of the other modest, two story houses on the block. It didn't stand out to Dean as they climbed the steps and Cas rang the doorbell. It didn't take long for someone to answer. The short Asian kid with the soft brown eyes and friendly smile he knew from the club meetings at school to be Kevin let them in and closed the door behind them.

 

“Take your shoes off. My mom has a rule about no shoes in the house.” He said. Dean toed off his sneakers while Cas leaned down to untie his shoes.

 

“Is it an Asian thing?” Dean asked. Kevin snorted and shook his head.

 

“Nah, she just paid to have the floors redone. If my friends scratch them, she'll kill me, then she'll kill my friends.”

 

Dean grinned as he looked down at the floors in question. They were nice. He was old enough to appreciate the hard work that had gone into them. He'd remodeled his dad's living room and dining room with him last year.

 

“Are you…admiring the floor?” Cas asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, is that so wrong? I redid some floors with my dad once. They came out really nice. I like working with my hands. I can fix cars too.” Dean made an effort not to get offensive. Kevin seemed truly impressed while Cas seemed to be in awe.

 

“What else can you do?” Cas was close by his side as Kevin led them towards a room at the back of the house.

 

“I can cook,” Dean said. “I can bake, I keep a cleaner house than my mom and my sister, I can rebuild an engine, run 15 miles, I've climbed a mountain, hiked through the Adirondacks, and helped build a school in Central America on my summer break a few years back. There really isn't much I can't do.”

 

“Dude, you sound way cooler than any of us.” Ash was already sitting at the table with several other people from the club, including Garth Ed, Harry, Charlie, and Dorothy. Dean shrugged as he snagged a seat at the table. Cas took the empty one to his left.

 

“I just like being active. That doesn't make me cool.”

 

“You're talking to a bunch of stoners that sit around playing board games and video games,” Charlie laughed. “So yeah, that kind of makes you cool.”

 

Dean latched onto the word “stoners” and looked around at the people sitting there. Kevin had sat down at the head of the table where he was busy setting up their makeshift board. Ash looked high, but in the little time he'd known the guy, he seemed to always look that way. Charlie was particularly giggly, but it was Saturday, and they were out of school and presumably away from all parental figures. This could just be how they were when they were unsupervised. He didn't _smell_ anything…

 

A hand on his thigh roused him out of his thoughts and he looked over to see Cas smiling shyly at him. He was testing the waters, seeing if he'd be rejected in front of their friends, since Dean was now fitting in enough that he could actually think of these people in that context. Dean grinned and winked at him before placing his hand over the one Cas had resting still on his leg.

 

“It's ok?” Cas asked softly. Dan nodded.

 

“Mmhmm, for you it is.”

 

“Aww, are you two flirting?” Dorothy teased as she set her little, pewter figurine on the board.

 

“Yeah, why, you jealous?” Dean teased right back, which got everyone laughing.

 

“Not at all. I got a great girl, her name's Gilda.” Dorothy replied, smirking as she sat back and crossed her arms. Dean noticed the way Charlie suddenly fell silent. Garth was whispering to her and he didn't need to use his abilities as a cop to know that he was trying to comfort her. There was some kind of bad blood between Charlie and Dorothy.

 

Everyone else got their character on the board. Dean had gone and bought a figure before the first meeting he'd attended, so that he wouldn't be the only one on the board without one, and he plunked his down in the forbidden forest, next to Charlie and Ed’s figures. The game picked up where it had left off last Thursday, and Dean enjoyed playing with this group of people, more than he had the ones he'd played with when he'd been in high school. Cas wasn't being overly clingy, which was nice. His focus was on the game, even though their fingers were intertwined under the table.

 

A little before two a woman appeared in the doorway. She was clearly Kevin's mom, that resemblance was unmistakable. Kevin stopped the game to give her his attention.

 

“I'm leaving for work now. You kids behave. Kevin, I want everyone out by ten, understand?”

 

He nodded quickly. “Yes, mom.”

 

She eyed them all again before turning to leave. It wasn't until the front door closed and they heard a car starting that they all relaxed.

 

“I'll go grab some snacks!” Charlie scrambled to her feet and hurried towards the kitchen.

 

“I'll go get the brownies my mom made.” Ash was up and headed for the door.

 

“Why didn't he bring them in with him?” Dean asked as Kevin got up to follow after Charlie.

 

“Because my mom is weird about people bringing in outside food. Like, we don't even order out. If we're going to eat fast food, we go out to eat it, we don't do delivery. One time  there was a roach or something and she freaked, so now it's just food made at home. People bring stuff on game days when we have it here, but all evidence has to be removed before she gets home.” Kevin explained.

 

So Mrs. Tran was a little odd, and more than a little strict. Dean doubted she'd give her son the breathing room needed to deal drugs, especially since she'd already called twice to check on him and she's _just_ left. Good lord! He looked around the table at the others sitting there but his gut told him Garth and Harry were harmless. Ed was cocky but he lacked the brains to do much more than deal. Dorothy was a maybe. As much as he didn't want to consider it, even Cas was a possibility.

 

“I lack the subtlety to convince you to follow me out of the room so I can kiss you again, so will you just come with me?”

 

The voice was a deep grumble in his ear and it made his skin immediately raise up in goosebumps. Cas didn't have a hand on his thigh anymore but he reached over to brush his fingers across the back of Dean's hand. God, Bobby would kill him for this, and Jo would make fun of him, while also telling him how unprofessional he was being. How he shouldn't be interested in a high school student, he was a cop, with a degree and a career. But Cas was not a kid. He didn't act like a kid, or think like one. He was incredibly mature and intelligent, and in a few months he'd go off to college and Dean would be off this case. Their lives would part and no harm would be done. Right?

 

Something twisted in his gut when he looked into those blue eyes. The thought of never seeing Cas again really bothered him. He decided he was going to enjoy what time he did get to have with him. He smiled and nodded, then chuckled when Cas jumped to his feet and grabbed him by the hand.

 

They ignored the teasing and cat calls as they ducked down the hallway and into the bathroom. Cas was pressed up against him a moment later and well, he'd be lying if he said he didn't like the way that felt. He didn't know how much experience the younger man had but his hesitation told Dean it wasn't as much as his own. So he took the initiative and tipping Cas’ head back slightly, pressed their lips together.

 

The sparks that zipped up his spine and set his stomach on fire were like nothing he'd experienced before. It was the most intense kiss he'd shared with someone he'd known for such a short time. He pulled Cas closer, tilting his head more to get a better angle which deepened the kiss. A deep moan rumbled up from Cas’ chest that shot straight to Dean's groin. This was one of the hottest make out sessions he'd had in years, probably since he was a teenager, and he'd forgotten how awesome it could be to just kiss someone without it leading to sex.

 

When they heard their names being called, they slowly pulled apart. Cas looked dazed and it made Dean chuckle. He brushed his fingers through the younger man's dark locks and wiped some saliva from his lips.

 

“You ready to go back?”

 

“I guess. I think it's my turn.” Cas pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Or it might be Dorothy’s.”

 

Dean took him by the hand and led him back out to the game and the others who were waiting. Ash was grinning wide, holding up two squares of brownies.

 

“His mom makes the best brownies.” Cas said as he took one and bit into it. Dean took the other one and eyed it as he returned to his seat. Everyone was pigging out on snacks and soda as Dorothy took her turn.

 

Dean was reluctant to eat the brownie but he figured if it was just pot, that was something he could handle. A half hour later though, he was still feeling perfectly normal. That was disappointing. It meant Ash was not the dealer like he'd initially suspected. He enjoyed a second brownie before his turn rolled around. Harry left to make popcorn on the stove, another crazy rule Mrs.Tran had; no microwave in the house, and he returned some time with a massive bucket of the stuff for everyone to share.

 

They all munched as they played and it took a while before Dean started to notice just how lightheaded he was feeling. Cas was giggling and smiling an awful lot, looking even more adorable than usual with his full smile that left his gums showing and his nose crinkling. Dean couldn't resist stealing a kiss or two. The game had fallen to the wayside and they were all giggling like fools, devouring the last of the popcorn, brownies, and chips they'd brought when it finally dawned on Dean that he was high. His mouth formed an “O” in surprise as he tried to figure out exactly which food item had been laced.

 

“Where'd you get the weed?” He asked. That was apparently hilarious to Garth who burst into a fit of giggles and slid out of his chair, landing on his butt on the floor. Everyone burst out laughing, even Dean.

 

I steal it from my brother.” Harry said in a loud whisper, then broke out in a grin. “He steals my allowance to buy it, so...I should get some. It's only fair.”

 

Everyone around the table was nodding in agreement.

 

“You don't just smoke it?” Dean thought the edibles were clever, but smoking it was easier.

 

“Kevin's mom would know. She knows everything. This way, he gets to relax, have fun, and she doesn't try to ship him off to drug rehab because once in a while he gets high on weed. That's all any of us do is weed. The hardcore shit is scary and we've all known someone that died from that Angel’s Kiss stuff. We'll stick to pot, thank you.” Ed said. Everyone at the table suddenly seemed much more sober as they nodded. So this was a dead end. Dean grabbed another handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth. Beside him, Cas was giggling.

 

“What?”

 

“It's in the popcorn.”

 

Dean looked at the nearly empty bowl. Well shit.

  



	8. Chapter 8

Jo and Jody were busy researching, doing background checks on pretty much everyone at the school and it was a bit disturbing to see just how many of these kids had been to juvie. She even checked on Cas but he was squeaky clean. A couple of his sisters however, were not, but none had arrests for drugs. 

 

Jody had her suspicions as to who was distributing, but they had no proof. There hadn't been any new cases of kids showing up at the hospital with overdoses, but it was only Saturday. There was a big party night. If people were going to O.D., tonight would be the night. 

 

Her phone buzzed around seven with a text from Dean saying that he was on his way back, and he was bringing people with him. 

 

“Dean's coming back, and he's bringing people with him. I don't know how many or who.” She said as she tucked her phone away and hurried to start cleaning up the files they'd spent most of the day pouring over. 

 

“I'll bet Cas is one of them. That boy has a massive crush on Dean.” Jody said as she took the files and locked them in the lockbox the precinct had provided. She stood up to take it to her room and store it. Jo closed out her screen and pulled up Facebook just in time for the front door to open and Dean to come walking in. Cas, Charlie, and a skinny guy Jo didn't know were with him, as well as a blonde girl. 

 

“Hey,” Dean greeted her with a lazy smile and a wave of his hand. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked between him and his friends. Something was off, at least with Dean, Cas, and Charlie. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Jody came back at that moment though, interrupting her train of thought. 

 

“Ah, I see you brought friends. I know Cas, but who else did you bring?” She had the warm, “mom” smile down pat. It was no wonder that Bobby had chosen her. 

 

“This is Charlie, Garth, and Garth’s girlfriend Bess. She met up with us at Kevin's and we all walked back here.” Dean pointed each new person out. Charlie had of course spotted Jo and headed straight for her. She flopped down on the couch next to her and smiled. 

 

“Hi.”

 

Jo snorted and gave a nod. “Hey. You're in that club too?”

 

“Yep. I got Cas into it. He was so bored, just playing games in his free time. This is way more fun.  You aren't interested in playing any?”

 

Jo shook her head. “Nah, it never interested me. I like the SIMS, and that's about it.”

 

“She just hasn't given them a chance. If she did, she'd realize they're not immature, but really fun and a great way to explore your imagination.” Dean jumped in. “Even mom has played D&D.”

 

Everyone looked at Jody with wide, mystified eyes. 

 

“Hey, I'm not  _ that _ old!” She laughed. Bess giggled while Garth and Cas smiled. Jo was more than a bit surprised and Charlie was grinning wide. Dean stretched and draped an arm around Cas’ shoulders. 

 

“Could we order some pizza?”

 

Jody nodded. “Sure. I hadn't gotten around to making dinner yet anyway.”

 

Dean let go of Cas and headed into the kitchen to order food while everyone else headed over to the couch. Jody followed Dean and waited for him to get off the phone. 

 

“Do you think it's a good idea to have them here?” She asked, careful to watch for anyone that might come in, and keeping her voice low. 

 

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over. “Yes. These are good people, and I'd rather have them here than at that party tonight. I will feed them, let them hang out here, then around ten send them home. They're all over 18, except Bess, but she's only a month away. Cas might stay, which is fine, because he invited me to the party. Turns out Luke? The one Jo is tracking? Yeah, that's his  _ cousin _ . He hates him, but he says Luke throws killer parties.”

Jody opened the paper and read the information quickly before pulling out her phone to take a picture and send it to Bobby. 

 

“So we're thinking Luke is definitely the dealer.”

 

“That's what I'm thinking, but these parties he throws might just be a good place for dealers to sell since he throws them all the time. I have dates I texted you earlier. See if they match up to overdose dates. They're the party dates for the last two months.” He took the paper back and tucked it in his pocket just as Cas walked in the room. 

 

“Sorry, can I get some water? I'm thirsty for something other than the soda we had at Kevin's.”

 

“How does iced tea sound?” Jody asked. Cas smiled and nodded. She poured him a glass and handed it over, meeting Dean’s eye and nodding before walking out of the room. 

 

“Your mom seems nice.” Cas said after he'd finished half the tea in his glass. 

 

“She's pretty cool.” Dean agreed. 

 

“Is she ok with us being here?”

 

“Oh yeah, I gave a heads up that I was bringing people back.” Dean took the empty glass and refilled it for him before handing it back. 

 

“She, um, knows...?” Cas fidgeted a bit as he looked over Dean's shoulder.

 

“What, that I like guys? Yeah, she knows. Like I said, she'd cool. So is Jenny.” Dean leaned back against the counter next to him. “What are your parents like?”

 

Cas pursed his lips for a second before sighing. “Well, they certainly weren't happy to finally get a boy, and he turned out to be gay. They've accepted it for the most part. Mom still isn't happy about it, but that's her problem, not mine.”

 

“You just need to live your life, not worry about what other people think.” Dean bumped shoulders lightly with him until Cas smiled. 

 

“You're right. I do try.”

 

“So, we're going to this party later? No more pot though, it gives me a migraine.” Dean rubbed at his temples and was caught off guard when Cas kissed him. 

 

“We don't have to do anything.” Cas had a way of making his stomach do flips just by looking at him. Dean licked his lips and smiled. 

 

“Except maybe kiss?”

 

Cas blushed and pressed in against his side. “Only if you want to.”

 

Oh, Dean wanted to, but if he was making out, he couldn't observe the crowds and watch for drugs changing hands. Jody would insist he wear a camera. She had likely already contacted Bobby for approval…

 

“Maybe you could introduce me to some more people first. I still don't really know anyone, besides you guys.” He hoped Cas would give him at least a general introduction, so he could get a gauge on possible suspects. 

 

“Sure, there are lots of people to meet, but then you're mine.” Cas set his tea aside and hooked his thumbs in the loops of Dean's pants, dragging him closer. Dean was about to take advantage and steal another kiss when Jo walked in. She frowned when she saw how close they were and shot Dean a warning look. He knew she wouldn't say anything to Bobby, neither would Jody, but she wanted him to use common sense. Thankfully Cas didn't catch the look on her face before she had shifted into a knowing smirk. 

 

“Trying to get in my brother's pants already, I see.”

 

Cas flushed and dropped his hands, stuffing them into his pockets. “I'm not…that's not…”

 

“Lay off, Jen.” Dean warned. 

 

“Hey, I only came to tell you the the food is here. Garth wants to watch a movie, so Charlie suggested The Fifth Element. So that's what we're watching. She also mentioned a party later tonight?” She feigned ignorance quite well but Dean knew better. 

 

“Yeah, over at Luke’s house. You're invited too.” Cas told her. 

 

“I'm his date though.” Dean beamed as he started for the door, leaving them in the kitchen. Cas smiled wide. 

 

“Yes, you are.”

 

Jo rolled her eyes. Gross. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be auto corrects because I've been writing this on my phone. I'm too tired tonight to reread, so I'll check it tomorrow and fix them if I see them. I'm still under a ton of stress, and her ashes are ready, but I can't get them because I doint have enough money. Plus extended family is stressing me out as well as my ex. I'm just so tired. Writing continues to be my escape. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Jody called both Dean and Jo into her room after they had changed into clothes that they could get away with carrying a piece and not having it be seen or bumped accidentally, but also fitted with a camera. Dean fussed when Jody wanted to add a wire, arguing that nothing would be heard over the music, and that he wasn't going to risk Cas finding it on him. 

 

“Why would his hands be inside your clothes,  _ Alex _ ?” Jo snipped as she fitted a small earpiece in her right ear. He glares at her as he fitted his gun in his ankle holster and made sure it was covered by his pant leg. 

 

“I don't know, maybe you should ask Charlie that before you pass judgement on me.” He hissed as he tucked his own piece in his ear and covered it with his Bluetooth piece. Jo had hair to hide hers, he didn't. She stared at him, mouth agape. 

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“I'm  _ saying _ , you're blind and stupid if you can't see that she's into you.” 

 

Jo looked over at Jody who pretended to be adjusting her own headset for later, just so she could stay out of that conversation. Turning back to Dean, she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. 

 

“I think I would have known if she, you know,  _ liked _ me. As more than a friend.”

 

“Right, like you knew Craig in transit was into you? He asked you out three times before you even realized what he was doing.” Dean shook his head. 

 

“I went out with him! He was…nice.” Her nose twitched, a sign that she really hadn't enjoyed the date.”

 

“Nice, like in the way hot, raunchy sex is nice, or like, warm milk is nice?” He asked. 

 

“Shut up.” She muttered and let Jody finish setting up her wire. When she was finished she looked towards the door and twisted a lock of her hair nervously. 

 

“I thought she was just being friendly.”

 

“She is, but she's hoping you can be more than friends. Even I can see that.” Jody said. Dean nodded in agreement. 

 

“But, I've never, with girls, I don't know if I can.” Jo frowned. It wasn't an outright refusal. More that she was unsure of where her own attraction stood. 

 

“Do you like her?” Dean asked. Jo shrugged. 

 

“She's nice. Nicer than most people are to me.” She hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing red. “She's pretty.”

 

Dean smiled and patted her on the arm as he opened the door. “Give her a chance. She's really fun and pretty cool.”

 

She nodded and followed him back out to the living room where Cas and Charlie were waiting. 

“We ready to go?” Cas asked. 

 

“Yep. I'm driving.” Dean jangled his car keys as he headed for the front door. Everyone followed after him except Jody who closed and locked the door behind them. The moment she heard the Impala rumble to life on the street below, she dialed Bobby. 

 

“They on their way to that party  _ finally _ ?” The captain's gruff voice came across the line. He'd been waiting for her call. 

 

“Yep, just left. Dean refused to wear a mic though. Doesn't think we'll hear him over the music.” 

 

He grunted. “He's probably right, but the idjit should have worn one anyway, it's procedure.”

 

She sighed but didn't disagree. He was right. There was no point in raising hid blood pressure by telling him about Dean and Cas. Eventually that would come to light, and Dean could take the heat for that on his own. 

 

“Jo has a mic. I'll see what I can hear. Jody said as she headed for her room and the radio waiting there.

 

“I have a man en route to you now. He's going to monitor the cameras and give backup if need be. I'll let everyone here know to stay on alert, in case they do a bust tonight.” The words had no sooner left Bobby’s lips before someone was knocking at the front door. 

 

“I sure hope your guy didn't drive here in a marked vehicle.” She said as she backtracked to answer the door. 

 

“Not, I told him to drive his own car.”

 

She opened the door to see a guy standing there with shaggy blonde hair and a smirk on his face. 

 

“Jody?” He asked. She nodded. “I'm Gabe. Captain Singer sent me. I'm from tech. In fact, I  _ am _ the tech department.”

 

He offered his badge as she stepped aside to let him in. 

 

“That's him. He's cocky but he's good. Keep me updated.” Bobby said. 

 

“Will do.” Jody pocketed her phone and closed the door. “So how much did he fill you in?”

 

Gabe shrugged as he set his bag down on the couch. 

 

“There's a party tonight, detectives Winchester and Harvelle are undercover at it and they have a lead on at least one dealer that will be there. We're going to watch through their cameras and listen in on their mics. Do we know who the suspects are?”

 

Jody nodded and motioned for him to follow her. He grabbed his bag and they headed to her room. It only took him a few minutes to set up his laptop at her desk and then he had a split screen that showed both of their cameras. 

 

“We're looking for Nick “Lucifer” Morningstar and his girlfriend Lilith Dunbar.” Jody set a file down on the desk and several pictures of a blonde girl. 

 

“If I see anything suspicious on their cameras I'll let you know so you can tell them.” He said as he got settled in the chair in front of the laptop. She sat down in the center of the bed with the radio in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

 

“They should be walking into the party right now.” She looked over at the computer screen and Dean's camera. The house he and the others had just walked into was packed and immediately his view was blocked. 

 

“Dean, find a clear vantage point to survey the room. There's too many people.” She told him. There was a break in the crowd as Dean headed into the kitchen. 

 

“Hmm, underage drinking.” Gabe noted. 

 

“That's any teenage party. We have bigger fish to fry.” Jody wasn't worried about alcohol at the moment. If they didn't turn up any dealers she'd send in a few units to bust things up and confiscate the alcohol. They already had cops in the area pulling over anyone they suspected had been drinking at the party, but first she wanted a crack at catching one of the dealers.  Gabe made a noise that sounded like an agreement then fell silent as he continued watching the cameras. 

 

“Who is the boy talking to Detective Harvelle?” He asked a while later. Jody looked up to see Jo talking to someone but she was short and his had wasn't visible. The music was too loud to hear their conversation, just as Dean had warned. She grabbed the radio and went for the earpiece Jo was wearing. 

 

“Wee can't see who you're talking to, or hear what the conversation is about.”

 

Jo’s angle shifted, and so did the camera, giving them a clear view of Luke Morningstar. Lilith suddenly appeared at his side. 

 

“Can you hear what they're saying?” Gabe asked. 

 

“No, not over the music.” Jody shook her head. If Jo could keep the camera aimed on Luke’s face, Jody was sure she could read his lips, but Harvelle was just a bit too short. When Luke reached out to stroke Jo’s arm, they both raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Uh…” Gabe scratched at his chin. “You're sure he's a dealer?”

 

“We thought so.” Jody replied. Her other eyebrow shot up when Lilith started touching Jo too. “This is...oh.”

 

She picked up the radio and tuned in to Dean's earpiece. “Find Jo and go rescue her please. The suspects are trying to talk her into a threesome”

 

“He's moving.” Gabe announced. Jody let out a sigh of relief. She didn't get paid enough for this. 


	10. Chapter 10

Dean didn't think he'd ever been to a party like this, not even in college. When he'd been in high school he hadn't gone to parties. He'd focused on his grades so that he could graduate early and get moving on his college degree. His spare time was spent working out, doing homework, and participating in club activities. If Cas had any idea just how big of a nerd he was, he might rethink his crush. 

 

They'd moved into the kitchen after Jody had told him to try and get a clearer view, and now they were standing by the table watching people drink beer and vodka like it was going out of style. 

 

“Is there always this much alcohol at these parties?” He asked. Cas shrugged. 

 

“I guess. I don't really drink, so I'm not usually in the kitchen. I've had a purple nurple like, once. And beer a couple of times at Luke's insistence, but I don't really like it.”

 

“Smart. It's not all it's chalked up to be. There's much more fun things to do.” Dean pulled Cas back against him, careful not to block the camera hidden in the lapel of his flannel and continued watching the people that came and went about grabbing beers or mixing drinks. 

 

_ “We see the alcohol. Keep an eye out for suspicious activity elsewhere.” _ Jody said in his ear. His eyes scanned the living room beyond. It was crowded and hard to tell if people were dealing. Luke and his girlfriend were nowhere to be seen, and he had no idea where Jo and Charlie had wandered off to. 

 

_ “Find Jo and go rescue her please. The suspects are trying to talk her into a threesome.” _ Jody suddenly chirped in his ear. He barked out a laugh that had Cas turning around to look at him. 

 

“What?”

 

“Sorry, uh, that guy spilled a drink down the front of his pants. It was funny.” Dean waved vaguely towards the living room. Cas looked but there was no one that he noticed with a spilled drink. Dean slid out from behind him and took his hand. 

 

“I want to go look around, maybe meet some people, and I want to make sure Jen is ok.”

 

Cas nodded and let Dean pull him along into the crowded living room. He tightened his hold so they wouldn't get separated and Dean looked back, catching his eye and smiled. 

 

Dean has no clue where Jo was, and apparently neither did Jody or the cop working with her. He thought they were by windows but he wasn't sure. He found Charlie moping near the kitchen and was a bit alarmed to find that no wasn't with her. 

 

“Where's my sister?” He had to yell to be heard over the music. Charlie gave a half hearted shrug. 

 

“Lilith grabbed her. Told me I wasn't welcome to follow.”

 

Dean’s expression turned stormy. “Where is Lilith?”

 

Charlie pointed towards the far corner of the room. Dean grabbed her hand and tugged her along with him as went after his partner. There were a lot of situations that Jo was good at getting herself out of, but threesomes were  _ not _ one of them. He spotted Lilith and Luke, and a very alarmed Jo. When her eyes met his he could see the obvious relief in them. 

 

“Hey, what's going on here?” He dropped Cas and Charlie's hands so he could sling an arm around Jo's shoulders. 

 

“Who are you?” Luke asked, stepping back and looking very irritated at having been interrupted. 

 

“I'm her brother. Name's Alex Campbell, and you are?”

 

“Luke.” Luke rolled his eyes and grimaced. Dean looked down at Jo. 

 

“You ok? You looked like you weren't having fun, and I found your date pouting by the front door. That's not fair that she was ditched.”

 

“Date?” Charlie's entire face lit up and Cas grinned as he patted her back. Jo however was focusing on Dean and what he was saying. 

 

“I didn't ditch Charlie. Lilith said she and Luke wanted to talk to me about something. Turns out they are into threesomes. They're interested in having me as their partner, and they weren't taking no as an answer.”

 

Dean arched an eyebrow and looked up at Luke and Lilith. “Really, guys? Jen isn't into that stuff. Don't you understand the word no?”

 

“What about you, gorgeous? Think we could persuade you to join us?” Lilith purred as she slid a hand up Dean's arm. Before he could protest, Cas was stepping forward and shoving her hand away. 

 

“I tolerate a lot of crap from you guys, but I just started dating Alex. I'm not letting you get your claws in him. Let's go.” He grabbed Dean's hand who in turn grabbed Jo's, and they all walked away. Charlie hurried after them. 

 

“YOU got spunk, Cassie, I like that!” Luke called after them. “That one's yours.”

 

“What the fuck?” Dean cried, irritated at what Luke was implying. Cas stopped near the kitchen and put a hand on his chest. 

 

“Please ignore him, he's narcissistic and a complete asshole. You don't belong to anyone. I'm sorry to both of you. And I'm sorry that he's even related to me. He's a disgrace to the family.”

 

“It's cool. I understand that he's a bag of dicks. I'm just glad they didn't force my sister into anything she was unwilling to do. They'd have regretted it, she's a black belt in karate but knows multiple forms of self defense. She'd have made them cry. Shit like that just makes her awkward and uncomfortable.” Dean explained. He looked over to see Jo talking with Charlie. When Charlie reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind his partner's ear, he smiled. Yeah, Jo liked her. Something over her shoulder caught his attention and he turned so Jody and Gabe could see what he was seeing.

 

“Hey, that guy needs help.” He pointed to the kid currently foaming at the mouth who was staggering around. Jo turned in time to catch the guy as he collapsed against her. 

 

“He's not breathing!” She laid him on the floor as people started gathering around to see what had happened. Dean knelt down next to him to check his pulse. It was weak. 

 

“Cas! Call 911!” He shouted. 

 

“No!” Luke was suddenly there waving his hands emphatically. “Get him outside first, then call. What the fuck did he even take? Did he drink too much vodka?”

 

Dean struggled to scoop the kid up, glaring at Luke as he staggered towards the door. 

 

“He did drugs, but the alcohol probably made it worse.” Jo said as and followed after Dean. Cas was on the phone as he and Charlie followed boo and Dean out onto the front lawn. 

 

“Drugs? No, no, no, I have a strict rule, no drugs at my parties because this shit can happen!” Luke was almost hysterical as he paced back and forth across the grass. “Which one of you shitheads gave him something? Huh? Cause I'll fucking knock you into mercy Tuesday!”

 

Dean checked the kid's pulse again. He still had a heartbeat and after Jo had managed to clear his airway, he was at least breathing shallowly. He shared a confused look with Jo as Luke continued to interrogate his guests, demanding that whoever gave the kid the drugs cone forward. He had a skinny guy, Bart, Dean thought his name was, by the throat and was threatening to break his face when the guy finally cracked. 

 

“He brought it with him! No one gave it to him!”

 

“Who? Who gave it to him?!” Luke demanded. Bart looked close to peeing himself. 

 

“H-he gets it straight from Big D.”

 

Luke let him go and took a step back, his expression instantly changing. He was wary, even Dean and Jo could see that. 

 

“I don't _ ever _ want to see that shit at one of my parties again, you understand?”

 

Bart rubbed at his throat and nodded. The ambulance had finally arrived and as everyone watched, the unconscious kid was loaded into the back and whisked away to the nearest hospital. 

 

_ “Guys? We need to figure out who this Big D is. This might be the distributor. I already have cops en route to the hospital to make sure they run the tests we need, and to interview the victim if he wakes up. If Luke ands Lilith aren't suspects, get to the hospital and make sure no one tries to get in there and hurt the victim before our guys get there.”  _ Jody told them. 

 

Dean looked at Cas who had a haunted look on his face. 

 

“I want to go to the hospital, make sure he's ok. I can drop you guys off first.”

 

“No, I'm going with you.” Cas said firmly. 

 

“Me too. That's Alfie Miller. He's so sweet. I want to make sure he's ok too.” Charlie piped up. 

 

“Ok, fine, then I guess we're all going to the hospital. Let's get a move on.” Dean started walking to his car. The sooner they got there, the better. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the short chapter, I've been stressed out trying to get things together for my mom's memorial. My one aunt is giving me the majority of that stress. Because she insisted that we have it back in Illinois instead of here, the entire cost was jacked up from $3,500 to almost $6,000, and i just, I can't deal with her. 
> 
> She's so hyper focused on planning the memorial that no one is helping me pay for the ashes. I'm relying 100% on thru GoFundMe donations, and they fell short by over $700 I made a partial payment, and they thankfully allowed me to pick them up, so I sent my older daughter to Chicago with the empty urn so my uncle could paint it (the funeral home gave it to me for free. It's temporary until I can spread her ashes this summer. The urn is composite wood, and not well made, but there's a space in the front for a picture, so I put one in.). 
> 
> My cousin (aunt's daughter from first marriage) got an attitude with my daughter about the fact that she hadn't brought the ashes. My daughter traveled by train, without an id. I wasn't risking her getting stopped because she was traveling with human remains without proper identification. Besides, my mother's ashes don't need to sit in their house for 3 days leading up to the memorial just because my uncle offered to paint the urn. My daughter isn't one to back down though, and she told her off. My cousin is a jerk though and has had an attitude ever since. She's one I'm not on speaking terms with. 
> 
> So now I'm in debt for my mother's ashes, I'm probably going to be asked to pitch in for at least half of this memorial cost, which I never wanted and wouldn't have had if I'd just done it here in Indiana, and on top of all of that, I'm in the middle of switching medications for my migraines and tremors, so I'm freaking tired all the time, and dozing off at random times throughout the day. I keep sharing that GoFundMe, hoping I'll eventually have enough for at least her ashes. 
> 
> I've been writing to try and relieve some of the stress. Mostly at night. It had been helping to take my mind off things like how quiet my house is now without my mom here, and how much stress I'm currently under. If I had to just sit here I think I'd probably go mad. I don't know how people do this. 
> 
> I had a conversion with one of the food service ladies at that hospital a few days before my mom passed, and she said her husband was an only child too, like me, and when he lost his parents, he felt so alone, just like me, despite the people around him, and he told his wife that now (this was when his mother had died, his father had passed af years earlier), he felt like an orphan. It clicked in that moment for me when she told me that, that I can completely relate to how he felt. That's how I feel, like an orphan. I'm alone, no siblings to share my grief in the same way that I'm grieving. Her siblings? My kids? It's different. She wasn't their mother. She was mine. I feel so alone and I have to figure out _how_ to be alone. My family doesn't get it, they all have siblings, even my kids. I had more than one for exactly this reason. I didn't want them to be alone and scared when I die. 
> 
> Tomorrow morning I head to Chicago with my best friend and my younger daughter. I'm not ready for this. I've never liked funerals and wakes, and this is no different. I'll be seeing family I haven't seen in years and it feels weird knowing this time they're coming not only to say goodbye, but to comfort me. I'm just not emotionally ready for this. I'm trying to be strong. 
> 
> There *should* be an update tonight, but probably won't be one tomorrow. I won't be in the right had space, nor will I have the time. I'll be writing on the car ride up there to distract myself and if I write on my computer instead of my phone, I write much faster. So maybe there will be an update before I get to the funeral home. We'll see how I'm feeling. 
> 
> I hope you're still enjoying this story. I'm winging it as I go to keep myself on my toes.

Dean was quick to drop Cas and Charlie off at their houses despite Cas’ protests that he wanted to come with and see how Alfie was doing, and then he and Jo were on their way to the hospital. It took shone persuading and a promise to stop by tomorrow to fill him in before he relented and agreed to go home. 

 

They were filled in while en route on the boy’s name and history. Samandriel “Alfie” Lewis, age 17, no prior history of drug use. His parents had been called, thanks to Gabe’s quick skills and tracking them down, and they arrived barely minutes after Dean and Jo got there. 

 

“Are you the kids that saved our Alfie?” A tiny, wisp of a woman with long, light brown hair asked when she saw them in the waiting room. She looked frazzled, and it was clear shed been crying recently. Dean stood up first, wiping his hands on his pants before offering one to her. 

 

“Yes, ma'am. I'm Alex Campbell, and this is my sister Jennifer.”

 

She threw herself at him, hugging him fiercely. 

 

“Thank you, thank you both!” She released him and wrapped her arms around Jo. “What even happened?”

 

“I saw him not looking well. I knew he was sick and at first I thought he'd been drinking, but it looked like he was having a seizure, so we called 911 and monitored his heart rate until they arrived. We don't know Alfie, but our mom raised us to be thoughtful and watch out for others. When we told her what happened tonight and that we wanted to make sure he would be ok, she told us to come straight here.” Jo explained. 

 

“My husband is trying to get information right now. We haven't seen Alfie yet. We just got here.” Mrs. Lewis wiped at her eyes as Dean took her gently by the elbow and guided her over to one of the seats. 

 

“As soon as he knows something, he'll come get you.” He assured her. She sniffled and nodded.

 

Jo and Dean took the seats on either side of her as they waited for some kind of news. Eventually Alfie’s father made his way over. The look on his face told them the news was grim. His eyes were red rimmed and his hands were shaking as he approached them. Dean jumped up and guided him down into his seat. 

 

“Alfie? Is he ok?” His wife asked. 

 

“He took something called Angel’s Kiss, I don't know what it is, but they found the little packet in his pocket, so they knew what he'd taken. Said they've seen this before. It's…” His voice cracked and he wiped furiously at his eyes. “He had a massive heart attack! They said if he'd taken the whole thing, he'd be dead, that most kids take the whole thing. They're saying he's…going to need a heart transplant. But because this was considered a drug overdose, he might not be eligible. He's going to have to be transferred to Children's Memorial once he's stable.”

 

“My baby!” His wife wailed and collapsed in her husband's arms. Jo looked up at Dean who was frowning deeply. More than ever he wanted to catch this “Big D” son of a bitch and lock him away for good. 

 

“Come on, I'll let you kids see him before he's airlifted out.” Mr. Lewis said as he stood up again. He helped his wife to her feet and slipped an arm around her waist to hold her up as they started walking. 

 

Dean and Jo fell in step behind them. There was no telling where this “Big D” was, or how much of a danger he was to Alfie or his family. It would be better to get him transferred to the children's hospital, which was 80 miles north than it was for him to stay here. Until he was moved though, they were going to keep watch over the Lewis family. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me longer than anticipated to recover from the memorial. It ended up feeling like an even other people hosted that I was just attending. All I kept thinking was "this is so expensive", and I was right. My aunt and her need to have her way caused the memorial to be double the cost. A dinner ended up being included in the cost after the memorial was over, and we all headed to this Italian restaurant to have some of the worst pizza I've ever eaten. It was all that was included. Drinks were on the buyer, as was anything else people wanted to buy.
> 
> I was ignored by 2 cousins who never even so much as glanced in my direction. Including the one I've been at odds with for at least the last 5 or 6 years. She was, for lack of a better word, a bitch. I heard later, via word of mouth that she was mad I didn't call the family sooner before my mom died. My family. The people that complained that we moved sooo far away, too far to visit, even though we only moved 2.5 hours away. I still make the trip up to Chicago, AND WITHOUT A CAR BECAUSE I DON'T DRIVE, but it's too far for the ones that DO drive. 
> 
> This same cousin claims her arthritis makes it so she can't be in the car for long rides, and that's why she couldn't come visit. She came once, for one afternoon when my mom had open heart surgery in 2013. That was it. Btw, said cousin is 33. It's not like she's 60. Yet she goes one cross country road trips with her friends. So I just waved off her complaint. She wasn't set to come down anyway to see my mom in the hospital, so why should I care what she thinks?
> 
> I felt too numb to really write for a few days after. I got into a fight with my aunt at the restaurant, had to deal with so much family, and one of my best friends actually showed up, thanks to his daughter telling him I needed him there, but I ended up worrying even more about him than I already do because I know he's severely depressed (his dad committed suicide and he's showing the same signs of depression), but talking with him I any now thinking there's more going on, like schizophrenia, and he's there type to think prayer, God, and the bible is all he needs. Not medication or clinical help. So yeah, MORE stress. 
> 
> I also just did a medicine change. Got off the Topamax I was on and am now on gabapentin for my migraines/tremors, and I'm still adjusting. It exhausts me. Saw my new primary yesterday and she was concerned about my depression, so she added a new med on along with what I'm already taking, but also ordered bloodwork to make sure my thyroid and vitamin D levels were ok. Got results back this morning. Thyroid is fine but apparently my vitamin D levels are in the toilet, so I have to start taking D3 supplements. Here's to hoping I start to feel normal again soon. 
> 
> I managed to write 3 new fics, all prompt based while I tried to adjust to these new meds. I finally got motivated to come back to this one last night and write another chapter, but after taking my meds, I was too exhausted to post it. I've also been prescribed new meds to get my asthma under control. Today's the first day since my bronchitis infection in November that I woke up not immediately needing my inhaler. Felt nice. I'd like to laugh without needing to use my inhaler too.
> 
> So I hope you like this chapter. To those still sharing my GoFundMe, thank you. The ashes are not paid off yet, and money is getting tighter and tighter here. Please keep sharing. 
> 
> Now go ahead and read, enjoy, and I'll work on posting the other fics when this one is complete. I'm thinking there are only a few more chapters left.

Dean and Jo stayed at the hospital for three hours, until Alfie was airlifted out. They kept their eye on every nurse, doctor, and staff member that came near the room but no one bothered the Lewis family. Once their son had been flown out, Alfie’s parents left to make the drive to be with him. 

 

Dean was dragging by the time they made it back to the apartment and Jo wasn't fairing much better. Their main lead was a bust but at least they had a supplier name. Whoever this “Big D” was, he wasn't just a dealer. Kids weren't usually scared of just a dealer, unless the dealer had a really bad rep. This wasn't the kind of area that was heavy on gangs, which meant that Big D was a supplier that cut out the middleman by doing his own dealing, and he had a bad reputation.

 

The following morning Dean woke early and went for a run. Running always helped him think, and he needed the quiet. He thought about the reactions of everyone from the night before. While Jo had been focused on keeping Alfie alive, he'd been watching Luke and the reactions of the others when the name “Big D” had come up. It was doubtful everyone at the party was doing Angel’s Kiss, even if every batch wasn't bad, but the vast majority sure had reacted at the mention of that name, including Cas and Charlie. They'd seemed shocked, almost fearful. It was imperative that they figure out who this person was, and soon. The last thing they wanted was for another innocent person to get hurt under their watch. 

 

It was somewhere around the three mile mark that he has finished running everyone with a name beginning with the letter D that he could think of through his head when a new thought occurred to him. He stuttered to a stop as the thought began to build momentum. Had Jo come to this conclusion yet? Jody?  _ Bobby _ ? He turned around and started the run back to the apartment. This was urgent and he didn't have his cell phone on him. He was mad at himself the entire way back for forgetting it.

 

@@@@@@@

 

Dean was pouring sweat when he burst into the apartment. Jody came out of her room, frowning in concern when she saw how red his face was. 

 

“You ok?” She asked? 

 

“It's a teacher!” He gasped. 

 

“What?” Jo asked as she came out of her room. 

 

“It's a  _ teacher! _ Big D is a teacher!” He leaned against the wall and took a moment to catch his breath. Normally running didn't wind him but he'd raced back here to share his theory with them and now he just needed a moment. 

 

“You think the supplier is a teacher?” Jody glanced at Jo who seemed to be considering what he was saying. 

 

“That thought occurred to me that it could be a person in a position of authority, but what brought you to the conclusion that it's a teacher?” Jo asked. Dean stripped his shirt off and headed for the couch to sit down. They followed and sat down with him. 

 

“Think about it, who is going to make a bunch of high school kids scared, even when they're not taking drugs? We know there's not a gang problem here, and before six months ago, there wasn't a drug problem either. I think we need to look at new teachers, ones that transferred in this school year, but we can't rule out the ones that have been here a long time either. 

 

“We need to check their backstories, look for anything that might allude to drug dealing, manufacturing, or usage. Look for ones with a background in chemistry, even if that's not what they're currently teaching. I think they're right under our nose. We've been going about this all wrong. Big D is a nickname, but it may have to do with what they do rather than their actual name.” He explained. Jody was on her phone talking to someone, relaying information to them while Dean explained his theory. Jo had her laptop out and was entering in all of Dean's clues.

 

“This might take longer than we thought.” She said as she turned the computer screen around so he could see it. 

 

“Fuck!” He growled in frustration. 

 

“Don't worry guys, I have Gabe on it.” Jody assured them. “He's on his way here right now. He'll help us get to the bottom of this.”

 

Dean caught Jo’s eye and the skeptical look in it. Hopefully they'd catch this sick bastard soon. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

Gabe was there in under a half hour. Dean was showered and dressed in clean clothes by the time he arrived. Jody had let him in and they were in her room, his laptop set up at her desk and he was already hard at work doing background checks on every person that worked at the high school. Jody was sitting on her bed, typing away on her own computer. Dean had missed three calls from Cas so he headed to his room to call him back. Jo had decided to do a bit of research on her own and had disappeared while he was in the shower.

 

He closed his bedroom door and went to stand by the window as the phone rang on Cas’ end.

 

“Alex? Hey.” Cas sounded happy to hear back from him.

 

“Hey yourself. What's up?”

 

“I was wondering how things went last night at the hospital. I didn't get a chance to text and this morning I got dragged to church.” Cas sounded miffed about that. It made Dean smile.

 

“It's not good news. His heart, he suffered a heart attack. They said he took something called Angel’s Kiss, and that if he'd done all of it, he'd be dead. Instead, it just made a 17 year old kid have a heart attack so bad he now needs a new heart.” He couldn't help feeling bitter about that. Alfie didn't deserve that.

 

“No, are you serious? For real, he needs a heart transplant?” Cas sounded genuinely devastated.

 

“Yep. They airlifted him to another hospital, but he's been put on a waiting list.” Dean replied. “He kept talking about how it was a mistake, that he never should have done drugs, and that his friends told him it would relieve his anxiety and help him relax. He kept talking about that “Big D” person, saying it was their fault he was dying. I don't know who he's talking about though, do you?”

 

He wasn't in person to check Cas’ facial expressions but his voice had a tell when he wasn't being truthful, and that he could catch over the phone.

 

“Yes, and no. Like, I know the name, I've heard it around school.” Cas hedged.

 

“Like, is one of our _teachers_ selling this shit? Cause Alfie said other kids have died. You don't do that shit, do you?”

 

“Me? Hell no, but I know people that have. I tell them not to. Angel’s Kiss used to not be like it is now. It wasn't killing people. Promise me you won't fuck with that stuff. It's as dangerous as heroin, or maybe even more so.” Cas begged. Dean felt the tug at his heart. Cas was worried _he'd_ mess with Angel’s Kiss. He'd never anything stronger than pot, and he no intentions of starting now.

 

“Don't worry, my parents raised me better than that.”

 

“Mine too.” Cas said. He was quiet for a moment. “Are you doing anything today? Our date sort of got cut short last night and I'd like to maybe do something before we go back to school tomorrow.”

 

Dean knew he had work to do, but if he could find out more about this Big D, maybe Jody wouldn't be _too_ mad at him for going out, especially if he was following a lead.

 

“I can later. I, uh…” He thought for a moment. “I have chores to finish! Maybe around one?”

 

“Ok, I'll come by your place. That ok?” Cas asked.

 

“Sure is. I'll see you at one.” Dean said goodbye and pocketed his phone, still, he had to follow this lead. If Cas didn't know, maybe Ash would. They could stop by his job at the comic book store and he could find a way to subtly ask him about it.

 

He was still certain it was a teacher, or someone working closely with a teacher. Hell, even the principal was a suspect in his eyes right now. Going back to Jody’s room, not much had changed. Gabe was still typing away on one computer while Jody was busy on the other one.

 

“Any luck?” He asked as he pulled another chair over and sat down beside Gabe.

 

“So far, of the 68 teachers, aides, and other school staff employed there, four have backgrounds in chemistry. I'm still looking.” Gabe replied.

 

“Which four?”

 

Gabe paused his typing to pull up a screen on the second monitor, the one Jody had brought from the station.

 

“Dr. Rowena MacLeod, Alistair Black, Victor Henriksen, and Raphael Dumont.”

 

Dean knew two of those names: Rowena MacLeod and Alistair Black. He had them both as teachers. Pulling out his phone he sent a quick message to Jo.

 

 **Dean:** Hey, got some possible suspects, one is Ms. Macleod. Did you know she holds a doctorate? I don't know why she has students address her as Ms. Macleod instead of doctor. I'm looking at the screen right now. She majored in history but minored in chemistry and biology. Do you have Mr. Henriksen or Mr. Dumont as teachers? They're suspects too.

 

While he waited for her to respond, he watched Gabe come up with two more suspects. Uriel Matheson and Dr. Arthur Ketch. Dean knew who Dr. Ketch was, he was his Advanced Physics teacher. Ketch was weird, aloof and rather unapproachable, but he wasn't sure the man was a drug supplier. He supposed though that if he were, he'd be covering his tracks very well. His phone vibrated and he checked it, glad to see that Jo had responded.

 

 **Jo:** I don't have either. Henriksen is a freshman teacher and Dumont teaches art. The only one I know is Macleod. I don't have Black either. Do any of them strike you as possible suspects?

 

Truth was, any of them could be. He wasn't sure who was more suspicious.

 

 **Dean:** There's Ketch and Matheson too on the list now. I think each one needs to be investigated, and very thoroughly. We have to be careful about it though.

 

 **Jo:** I'm going to get addresses and run by their places, see if anything sticks out to me.

 

 **Dean:** Be careful!

 

 **Jo:** I always am!

 

“I have three more.” Gabe announced. Dean put his phone away and grabbed his notepad instead.

 

“Alright, give me the names.”


	14. Chapter 14

By the time Cas arrived, they had eleven staff members with degrees in chemistry, one of which was the automotive teacher, Gordon Walker.  _ Doctor  _ Gordon Walker, to be exact. He'd had his license revoked after he'd been found selling prescription drugs. Someone had scrubbed that from his record and after he'd gotten the certification to teach, the only position open was that of auto mechanics instructor. Gabe, however proved to be one hell of a hacker and had found Gordon's record with minimal effort. 

 

Gordon Walker had been at the school for two years and Dean had him for auto, so he could attest to just how unpleasant the man was. Frankly, he was downright scary to most of the students, especially if they were slow to figure out what he was trying to teach them. Dean happened to already be a licensed mechanic, something his dad had encouraged him to pursue so he'd have income while he was in college, so he stayed under Walker’s radar. The man had one hell of a temper, and while he hadn't raised a hand to a student yet, it always felt like he was one wrong spark plug away from snapping. 

 

Something in Dean's gut told him this was his man. Walker hadn't worked in a hospital when he'd still practiced, he had worked for Kripke Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country. He was a chemist working on creating different medications. Of everyone on the list, he pinged the strongest on Dean's radar. 

 

When Cas arrived Dean was in the kitchen, packing a lunch so they could sit in his car by Wolf’s Head park. It has started raining out so doing a picnic at the park really wasn't an option. This still felt romantic, and he'd have the chance to see what else Cas knew. He'd already run it by Jody and she was in support of it. She'd even instructed Jo to go spend time with Charlie to see what she knew. 

 

Cas leaned against the counter, watching as Dean filed the cooler with sandwiches, chips, and cans of soda as well as two pre-measured cups of fruit and a couple bottles of water. Lastly, he added two slices of a cherry pie he'd picked up at a bakery earlier. 

 

“We're going on a picnic?” Cas asked.

 

“Sort of? It'll be in my car since it's raining.” Dean replied. 

 

“I like your car, it's roomy.” Cas gave a flirty smile that had Dean laughing softly. 

 

“Why, Mr. Novak, what sort of intentions did you have this afternoon?” He joked. Cas blushed and peered up at him through his lashes. 

 

“I didn't get to really kiss you on our last date.”

 

Dean closed the lid on the cooler and leaned over to kiss him. It was chaste, but with a promise of more later. Jody walked in just as Dean was pulling back and walked over to the cooler. She lifted the lid and peeked inside. 

 

“Oh good, you brought fruit. You should have packed some carrot sticks too. For nutrition.”

 

Dean closed the lid and frowned. “It's raining out. We'll be sitting in my car. I've probably already over packed.”

 

“Do you two need “protection”? I have some condoms in my room,” She offered. 

 

“No!” They both exclaimed. Cas’ face had turned bright red while Dean looked mortified. She just grinned and chuckled before walking out of the room again. 

 

“I'm so sorry,” Dean apologized. 

 

“N-no, it's cool. I just...I wasn't expecting your mom to be so…” Cas blushed even harder. Dean found him adorable all over again.

 

“She has no filter.” He grabbed the cooler with one hand and Cas’ hand with his other.  “Let's go have a slightly romantic date in my car in the rain, and then maybe we can go play laser tag or something.”

 

“I like laser tag.” Cas let himself be pulled out of the apartment. Dean grinned.

 

“Good.”

 

@@@@@@@

 

They had parked overlooking the pond at Wolf’s Head and were munching on roast beef sandwiches and Fritos as they tried to watch the ducks on the water. The pouring rain was giving everything beyond the windows an abstract, watercolor effect. Every so often the wipers would clear the windshield and they'd see the dark figures of the birds floating on the water's surface. 

 

“What kind of ducks are those? They're not Mallard.” Dean squinted at them through the rain as a white one joined the others. 

 

“People dump ducks here and they sort of flock together. There's some Muscovy, some Mallard, and last time I was here there was a Pekin.”  Cas looked over to see a blank expression on Dean's face. “That's the fat white one.” He clarified. 

 

“Oh, yeah, I see that one. How come you know so much about ducks?” 

 

Cas shrugged. “My grandparents have a small farm and they have ducks and chickens. I've spent many summers cleaning out the coops. I have a Pekin, his name is George. He lives on their farm but he's my buddy. When I'm there, he follows me everywhere. He was supposed to be dinner seven years ago but I pitched a fit and grandpa said I could keep him. George is now their watch dog. He chases away thru bible thumpers and sales people so grandma says he's earned his keep.”

 

Dean laughed  at that. It was a funny image. As they dug into their fruit, he brought up the subject of their teachers again. It was time to work. They could kiss later. 

 

“So, you sort of didn't answer my question earlier.” He hedged. Cas turned his bright, blue gaze on him. 

 

“What question was it?”

 

“Do you think one of our teachers is selling tainted drugs to students?” Dean asked. Cas pursed his lips and stared into his cup of grapes and pineapple chunks. 

 

“Honestly? Yes, I think it's a teacher. I-I think it's that scary, angry auto mechanics guy. I've heard rumors, everyone has. I know he's sold some stuff to my friends, but not Angel’s Kiss. Like, Mike McLaughlin on the football team? He bought  _ speed  _ from him last year. I heard that from Xavier Salazar who is on the team with him. I was tutoring Xavier in math and, well, he loves gossip. I've heard be makes and sells his own drugs, that he's some kind of scientist, but that he was dangerous. No one had better cross him unless they wanted to disappear. Eddie Miller and Jonah Pakylewsky died at the beginning of the year in a mysterious car crash, but there are rumors that Big D cut the brake lines, or did something to them to make Eddie crash. They had threatened to go to the police if he didn't give them free drugs. People think he made them a lesson.” 

 

He actually looked scared, and checked over his shoulder several times, as if he expected Gordon Walker  to suddenly be right outside the car. 

 

“He sounds messed up. I just thought he had serious anger issues. I have him for auto and I do everything possible to avoid his wrath. I keep waiting for him to punch a student.” Dean popped a grape in his mouth and prayed he didn't sound at all suspicious. 

 

“Promise me you won't buy anything from him.” Cas begged. 

 

“Nah, I don't do drugs, save for a little pot here and there. I like my brain cells, thank you” Dean joked, hoping to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as Cas was smiling again. 

 

“Ready for some pie?” He asked. 

 

“Definitely. Cherry is my favorite.” Cas replied. 


	15. Chapter 15

Dean took the time while Cas went to use the bathroom between downpours to call Jody and tell her what he'd gotten from Cas. 

 

“Jo is with the red head right now but I haven't heard from her yet. How are you able to call right now? Where is he?” She asked. 

 

“He had to use the bathroom, he'll be back any moment.” He was keeping one eye on the building where the bathrooms were as he talked. 

“Well, hang up. If you learn anything new, text me.”

 

He gave a rushed goodbye when he saw Cas emerge from the bathroom and hung up. It was starting to rain again as Cas made the dash back to the car. He shivered as he slid into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut. 

 

“What took so long?” Dean asked as he reached into the back and found a clean towel. He wiped Cas’ face off before handing it to him. 

 

“It's gross in there. I should have peed outside in a bush, it would have been more sanitary. Then I had to find a working sink.” Cas replied. 

 

He ran his fingers through  Cas' damp hair making it stand on end. Dean laughed as he reached over to try and tame it back down a bit. 

 

“I hate my hair.” Cas pouted. Dean brushed his fingers through his dark locks slowly. 

 

“I don't. I think it's uniquely you, and I like it.”

 

For a long moment they simply sat there looking at one another. Dean suddenly realized that perhaps taking Cas to an empty park in the rain was maybe not the best idea if he was trying to  _ avoid _ having sex. Especially with the way those blue eyes were currently looking at him. 

 

He stroked Cas’ cheek, feeling his own stomach do a flip when his date slid across the seat towards him. 

 

“I like you, Alex. You're different than other guys I've dated, more mature and respectful. I appreciate that. I'm usually the mature one in a relationship, having to slow down the other guy. It usually ends up with me getting dumped. There aren't a whole lot of gay or even bi guys that are out to choose from at school, and none as attractive as you. I feel like I won the lottery because you actually like me back.” Cas said earnestly. Dean's stomach soured. Cas had no idea about the real him. 

 

“Cas…” He didn't get to finish his thought before there were warm, dry lips pressing against his own. 

 

He was so crazy about Cas and it left him feeling more and more conflicted with every passing moment they spent together. The case was hopefully coming to a close soon, but that meant no more high school classes, no more time spent between classes kissing Cas, not that they'd done that yet, but the chance would soon be taken away. He was a 22 year old detective, he had other cases to work. This was just a case. Cas, however, was much more than that. 

 

Cas was just so sweet and amazing, and cover aside, they had so much in common. They had only known each other two weeks and he knew he was smitten. He'd never felt this way before and it just compounded his guilt. How was Cas going to react when he told him the truth? Because he  _ was _ going to tell him. He'd have to lay his cards out and hope Cas still wanted to be with him. 

 

That was an issue for another time though, and he wanted to be in the right here, right now. He had a warm, pliant body in his arms and for the moment, that was all he wanted to concentrate on. Everything else could wait. 


	16. Chapter 16

Jo sat on the edge of Charlie's bed trying her hardest to project an air of calm, but it wasn't really working. She was nervous, and the other girl seemed to sense it. 

 

“Are you second guessing coming over here?” Charlie had sat down next to her, but she'd moved slowly, as if Jo were a wild animal easily spooked. 

 

“No, why would you ask that?” Jo tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and tilted her head. “I called you, remember?”

 

“Yeah, but you haven't moved from that spot since you got here, and you keep glancing at your phone. It's like you have somewhere else to be.” She sounded so sad that Jo felt like an ass. Sure, they hadn't  _ really _ gotten to be alone together yet, and that was nerve wracking enough, but this case was starting to get to her too. Jody had messaged her that it was the auto shop teacher, and told her to see if she could get Charlie to verify that. So far she'd been here an hour and hadn't figured out how to broach the subject. 

 

“I'm sorry, I  _ do _ want to be here. This is all sort of new to me. I, uh, I've n-never liked another girl before.” Jo could feel her face burning. Usually she had fantastic composure but Charlie just brought out a different side of her. 

 

“I knew by the time I was ten that I didn't like boys. All of my friends had boyfriends, but I just thought they were gross. Boys, I mean. Except Cas. I've known him since kindergarten. But I didn't like him as anything more than a friend. By middle school I had a crush on this girl Kate. She was so pretty, but she was crushing hard on Cas. It was awkward. I never told her I liked her and Cas said no when she asked him out. 

 

“I had my first girlfriend freshman year. Gilda. We dated a year and a half. Then my friend Dorothy started flirting with her and, well, Gilda cheated on me with her, so I dumped her. I'm not friends with Dorothy anymore, but I'm still in two clubs with her.” Charlie edged closer and reached out to take her hand. Jo looked at where their fingers were laced together before meeting Charlie's gaze again. 

 

“I was trying to make a point, believe it or not.” Charlie snorted. Jo smiled. 

 

“What point was that, exactly?”

 

“Some people know from an early age that they're gay, or bi, or whatever. Some figure it out much later. Others never figure it out. It's ok that you're still figuring yourself out. If you're going to like a girl, I'm really glad it's me.” 

 

Jo let the tension bleed out of her body and she smiled wider. 

 

“You're hard not to like, you're so bubbly. A-and pretty.” Her cheeks were on fire again but Charlie was practically beaming at her. 

 

“I think you're pretty too. Hot, actually.”

 

“Well, thank you.” Jo looked into her eyes for a moment, but she'd seen enough cheesy romance flicks to know that this would be the moment the characters kissed, and that made her heart race. She looked away, suddenly feeling incredibly shy. 

 

“Is Alfie going to be ok?” Charlie thankfully changed the subject but also managed to give her the opening she needed. She looked up again, meeting Charlie's gaze head on. 

 

“No. His parents said the stuff he took pretty much destroyed his heart. If he'd taken all of it, he'd have died. They think it's Angel’s Kiss that he took. Where did he even get that stuff? I've been hearing rumors that it's scary stuff, like pcp or something. I don't know why people would even take it if they know it's that dangerous.”

 

“Oh my god, poor Alfie!” Charlie's eyes filled up with tears. “I can't believe he took that crap!”

 

“We don't have that back in Kansas. I never heard of it before we moved here. Is it like, easy to obtain? Because seriously, whoever's selling that shit, they're murderers.” Jo reached up to wipe the tears from the other girl's cheeks. Charlie looked miserable. 

 

“I don't know where else it's sold, but it's been floating around the school for like, a year now. Suddenly, this year, kids started dying from it. It isn't stopping them from taking it though. They're idiots, always looking for that next high, and pot isn't enough for them. Last year, my chemistry lab partner took that junk and died. My friends and I, we stay far away from it. You should too.”

 

“I'm not touching it. Is someone selling it though? Luke sure seemed pretty scared last night of whoever “Big D” is.” Jo said. 

 

“I've heard rumors, but I don't really know for sure. There are a couple of teachers that sell it. I've seen kids buying it from Mr. Black but he's scary. Last year, this girl Heather decided she was going to report him. Her body was found that same night. She'd O.D’d on coke, or so we are told, but everyone knew.” Charlie was nervous, and Jo understood why. 

 

“Mr. Black? I don't have him, and now I'm glad. I think Alex might have him though. I'll be avoiding him. What other teachers? I want to make sure I don't have them either.”

 

“I'm not really sure, but I've heard that Mr. Walker makes Angel’s Kiss.” Charlie was chewing nervously on her fingernails until Jo pulled her hand away from her mouth. 

 

“I don't know who that is,” Jo lied. “But I'll avoid him too.”

 

Charlie chewed at her lip as she searched Jo’s eyes. Jo smiled softly and decided she was going to just go for it. She wanted to know if her attraction went further than just thinking Charlie was pretty. The other girl's eyes widened as she leaned in to kiss her. 

 

“What was that for?” Charlie asked when Jo sat back. 

 

“I wanted to?” Jo felt shy all over again. She'd just kissed another person without their permission. If she was pushed away or rejected, she had no one to blame but herself. 

 

Charlie, however was smiling wide. “Do it again.”

 

Jo returned her smile before kissing her again, this time with a bit more confidence. It was definitely more than just thinking Charlie was pretty. She had to admit, she wasn't as straight as she'd always thought she was. She also had to admit, it didn't freak her out like she'd expected. Dean was  _ so _ going to make fun of her later. 

 

It was worth it. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I have been busy, but here is the next chapter. I wrote it this morning when hot flashes and the migraine I've been dealing with for days now woke meup. I'm getting sleepy though, so I'm going back to sleep, lol. Enjoy the chapter!

Dean thought he'd be prepared for something as simple as a school dance, but as it turned out, he really wasn't. He was a nervous wreck. 

 

Jo had dragged him out shopping early on the morning of the dance, telling him he needed a nice button down and he dresses pants; ones that didn't make him look like a cop. As he tried on clothes at the store, he realized she'd been right. After selecting a blazer to go over the shirt, so he could wear his gun without it being noticed, they went to pick out shoes. His were an easy find, but she took two hours to select a pair, and that was after the first two just picking out a dress! 

 

Once they had their outfits picked out, they headed back to the apartment to decompress before they went to the dance. Dean snuck in a nap, wanting to be alert when they got there, while Jo spent another two hours primping and fussing over her hair and makeup. Jody just rolled her eyes and retreated to her room to make sure the cameras they'd placed in the gym the night before were working properly. 

 

After a nap, a late lunch, and a long, hot shower, Dean did his own grooming, which consisted of shaving, styling his hair (which took 30 seconds) and putting on deodorant and a touch of aftershave. Jo glared at him when his entire bathroom trip took 30 minutes, start to finish. He slipped into the deep red shirt Jo had selected for him and his new dress pants. After buttoning and tucking the shirt in, he slid the holster with his gun onto his belt at the small of his back. He'd have to keep Cas’ hands _ above _ the waist tonight. After slipping on the blazer, he took a look at himself in the mirror. He looked young for his age, always had, and right now, he looked like an excited teenager ready to go and enjoy a dance with his boyfriend. He really wanted at least once slow dance with Cas before things went down. His stomach soured at the thought that this was likely his last night as a high school student. His last night as Alex Campbell. All he could do was hope Cas didn't hate him after this. 

 

He met Jo in the living room, giving a wolf whistle when he saw her all dolled up. She looked ready for prom but as he remembered, she hadn't gotten to go, she'd come down with mono the week before. Third was her chance to make up for what she'd missed all those years before. She was dazzling in her dress. As she'd explained to him at the store, it was an ombre design, fading from silver at the neckline to baby blue, then slowly darkening down to the hem, which rested a few inches below the knee. She'd selected it so she'd have easy access to her gun, which was strapped to her right thigh. Silver heels gave her a few inches, but were strap on wedges so if she needed to give chase, she wouldn't break an ankle. Jody appeared to fit them both with cameras and ear pieces. Dean slipped his bluetooth earpiece over it to hide it. Jo had ringlets of heart hair cascading from her updo to cover hers up. He envied her for that. 

 

“You're ready for this?” Jody asked as she slipped her own blazer on. She'd dressed nice too, but also practically in a button down blouse, flowered skirt, and flats. Her gun was at the small of her back, covered by the blazer she put on over her outfit. Dean knew her well enough to know there was another gun strapped to her thigh too. Hell, he had an ankle piece too. He wasn't taking any chances. 

 

“To take down the bad guy? Yes. To see the look of betrayal on Cas’ face when he finds out I'm a cop and not a high school student? Hell no.” Dean replied. Jo nodded in agreement. 

 

“I hope Charlie doesn't hate me after this.” She said, giving voice to his own fears. He stood silently, afraid that if he acknowledged it as the truth, it would  _ be _ true, and Cas would hate him forever. Jo saw his face though and frowned. She knew what he was thinking. It was the same thing running through her own head. 

 

“Hey, we'll do our best after all this to explain to them why we did this. I know you want Cas to understand your feelings for him weren't part of the act. I want the same with Charlie. We'll get through this.” She rubbed his arm reassuringly and smiled. He forced himself to smile back. 

 

“Yeah, ok. I suck with words though. I hope he believes me.” He said. 

 

“He will. He's smart and in love with you. That will trump his anger.” She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. “I guess it's time to go pick up our dates.”

 

Dean swallowed hard and nodded. It was time put an end to these drugs. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few more chapters and we're done. I hope you're all still enjoying this.

Cas was pacing nervously as he waited for Dean to arrive. Charlie watched him from her spot on the couch with fond amusement. 

 

“What's going on with you, dude? It's just a dance. It's not like you and Alex haven't already done the deed.”

 

He stopped pacing and dropped onto the couch next to her. 

 

“Actually, we're haven't…”done the deed" yet. He wanted to wait.” His use of air quotes amused her even more. 

 

“Wait for what?”

 

“He doesn't like casual sex. Frankly, neither do I. But I'm crazy about him. He's so amazing.” He sighed like a lovesick fool and thought he probably was one. 

 

“Ok, so why are you so anxious?” She asked. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. She gasped and then smiled wide. 

 

“You're going to do the deed _ tonight _ !”

 

“Hush! I don't need my parents hearing you!” He hissed, and shoved the condom back in his pocket. He also had three of the little lube packets. It had been a while since he'd had sex last and it had been unpleasant. There hadn't been nearly enough lube. He looked back towards the kitchen where his mom was busy emptying the dishwasher. Thankfully she hadn't heard Charlie, or if she did, she was pretending she hadn't. 

 

“Relax, you're 18, and your sister Anna was having sex at 15. I seriously doubt they'll be upset.” She rolled her eyes at him and smoothed a hand down the front of her shirt. “Do I look good? I mean, Jo won't think it's weird that I'm wearing pants and a dress shirt, will she?”

 

“She likes you just as you are. I don't think your decision not to wear a dress will bother her at all. I wonder what Alex is wearing.” He said. “All he told me when he called earlier was that he'd chosen dark red. Hael told me to go with a waistcoat. She picked out this one.”

 

“It's not prom, you don't have to match. You look good. Alex is totally going to drool.” She assured him. 

 

He was finally starting to relax when the doorbell rang. 

 

“Oh God!” He whimpered as he shot up off the couch to answer the door before one of his sisters did. Why did they have to go to college locally? Why couldn't they attend university on the other side of the country? 

 

“That your _ boy _ friend?” Hael had magically appeared and was leaning against the couch, a wicked smirk on her face as Cas opened the door. 

 

“Shut it!” He warned before turning to look at his date. His eyes widened the moment they landed on Dean. 

 

“Wow,” Dean was grinning as he leaned in to kiss him. He was still too shocked to respond, so he simply kissed him back. Jo had slipped past Dean and was standing a few feet away blushing as Charlie raved over how gorgeous she looked. 

 

“You… you're gorgeous!” Cas exclaimed, his face heating up as he realized what he'd said. Dean smiled and ran his hands down the front of his blazer. 

 

“I clean up pretty nice, right?” 

 

“Alex, you're always gorgeous, but you look amazing in a suit.” Cas was just leaning in to kiss him again when his mom walked in the room. 

 

“Got yourself a hot date there, bro.” Hael teased. He went to slip an arm around Dean's waist but the other man caught his hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it softly. His mother and sister both “aww’d" over the gesture, though Hael’s sounded totally insincere. 

 

“I know I'll have the hottest date at the dance.” Dean said. Cas stared up at him in awe but Dean was busy charming his family, flashing his nicest smile. 

 

“You boys be safe. No drinking, no drugs.” His mother said. 

 

“We won't, mom.” Cas rolled his eyes but Dean nodded. 

 

“We won't, Mrs. Novak.” He promised. That seemed to placate her. She walked over to her son and cupped his face between her hands. 

 

“You are so handsome. I want you to have fun at the dance, and  _ be safe _ .”

 

He softened and smiled at her. “I will mom.”

 

She kissed his cheek, even as he protested, and jumped when he realized she was slipping something into his pocket. When he reached in his fingers brushed a small, ziploc bag. The familiar shape inside had his eyes going wide and his face turning beat red. 

 

“Be safe.”She whispered before going to hug Charlie.

 

“What's wrong?” Dean asked.

 

“N-nothing!” Cas tightened his hold on Dean's hand and started pulling him towards the door. “We better go.”

 

Walking out to the car, Charlie held Jo’s hand. She was still raving over how beautiful her date looked. 

 

“I have the hottest date tonight, Alex. I'll fight you on this.” She said, laughing. Dean laughed as he opened the passenger door for Cas. 

 

“We'll call it a tie, sound good?”

 

“I can deal with a tie.” She conceded as she opened the back door for Jo. Dean grinned as he slid in behind the wheel. Once everyone was in the car, he started her up. 

 

“Let's go dance!” He announced as he pulled away from the curb. The others in the car all cheered. He met Jo’s eye in the rear view and saw her nervous expression. Tonight was going to change a lot of things for them both, and she was as reluctant to lose Charlie as he was to lose Cas. He hoped tonight wasn't going to end up being a total shit storm.


	19. Chapter 19

The music was pumping and the gym floor was filled with happy, dancing couples all bouncing to what sounded like Fallout Boy. Dean quickly spotted Jody where she stood near the folded up bleachers on the left side of the room. He saw Jo notice her too. 

 

“Come on!” Charlie exclaimed as she dragged Jo towards the dance floor.

 

“Do you…?” Cas motioned towards the dance floor. 

 

“I'm not the best dancer. Maybe when something slower comes on?” Dean shrugged. Cas smiled and nodded.

 

“I am an a awful dancer, but I can sway to slow music.”

 

Dean chuckled and slipped his hand into his date's and made his way over to where there were tables set up. Most were empty, which he was glad for, and he was able to select one that gave him a clear view of both exits. They sat down together and cas scooted his chair closer so he could lean against Dean's side. 

 

“This is a pretty good turnout for a spring dance. I'm surprised.” Dean was busy scanning the room, looking for Walker or Black. He looked at Jody and she nodded subtly towards the door at the back of the gym; the one that led into the back halls of the school. It also led to the auto shop. 

 

“It's the last dance before prom.” Cas explained. Something in his tone drew Dean's attention back to him. Cas fidgeted a bit, swallowing hard as he looked Dean in the eye. “Would you, um, like to go to prom with me?”

 

Dean was thrilled by Cas’ question. He wanted nothing more than to go to prom with this gorgeous man, but the case would be closing tonight, as long as Walker and Black were caught dealing. That meant he wouldn't be around for prom. What was the right answer? He had no clue. 

 

“What are you guys doing over here? Got skills be dancing.” Kevin flopped into one of the chairs across from them. His date Shea sat down quietly beside him. Dean was thankful for the distraction, but it wasn't a topic he could avoid forever. 

 

“We're waiting for a slow song.” Cas explained. “Who else is here?”

 

“Everyone. Dorothy is dancing over there with Gilda, Ed came alone, no surprise there. He's stalking the girls on the other side of the room, trying to get one of them to dance with him and Harry looks like he's having an epileptic seizure on the dance floor with his girlfriend Molly. They must be in love because I don't know how else she could tolerate that.” Kevin laughed. Dean and Cas laughed too. Dean picked Harry out of the crowd and laughed when harder when he saw how their friend was dancing. 

 

“That's why I wanted to wait for a slow song.” Cas said as he wiped the corners of his eyes.

 

The music changed, slipping into something slow and he grabbed Dean's hand, pulling him to his feet and onto the dance floor. When he went to put his hands on Dean's waist, his boyfriend caught them and wrapped them around his neck instead. He smiled at Dean as the man wrapped his own arms around Cas’ waist and pulled him close. They swayed to the music and Dean took a moment to just bury his face against his date's shoulder and inhale the scent of his soap and the cologne he'd chosen to wear. 

 

“This is nice.” Cas sighed as he closed his eyes. When Dean stood up straight again, he laid his head on the man's shoulder. Dean kissed his temple even as his eyes scanned the room. He spotted Alastair Black lurking along the far right edge of the dance floor, though he wasn't really watching the students, he was looking at the door at the back. Jo and Charlie were dancing only a few feet away and he met his partner's eyes, subtly nodding towards the door just as it opened and Gordon Walker entered. Dean pressed the button on his Apple watch that would vibrate an alert on Jody’s phone with a pre-selected message: Walker had arrived. 

 

As he held Cas close and continued dancing as the next slow song came on, he watched Jody move into a better position so she could see both the door where Walker was talking to a student, and where Black was also talking to someone. Another student by the looks of it. 

 

“You didn't answer me before.” Cas lifted his head and met Dean's gaze. It took the detective a second to realize what he was talking about. They were back to that conversation, and now he had to address the question.

 

“I didn't think you would really want  _ me _ to be your date to that.” He tried to laugh it off but the frown on Cas’ face told him that was probably the wrong thing to do. 

 

“You're my boyfriend. Why wouldn't I want to go with you?”

 

Dean shrugged. “Cause I suck at dancing?”

 

Cas relaxed and smiled. “Neither am I. We can suck together.”

 

Dean smiled back before leaning in to kiss him. He still felt guilty about it, and he knew Cas would be even more upset after tonight, but he found himself nodding anyway. 

 

“I'd be honored to be your date.”

 

He was caught off guard and almost fell when Cas lunged forward and kissed him hard. 

 

“I want us to wear matching tuxes. Is that too cliche?” Cas asked. “I was thinking I'd wear green and you'd wear blue, because I absolutely love your eyes, and I know how much you like mine.”

 

“You want me to wear a blue tux?” Dean asked, wrinkling his nose at the image of himself in a blue tux. Cas’ laughter filled the air as he shook his head. 

 

“No, silly, we'll wear black. I was talking about the bowties and cummerbund.”

 

Oh, that made more sense. Dean smiled and kissed him again, softly this time. 

 

“I don't think there's a shop in this state that could capture the shade of blue that your eyes are."

 

Cas melted under his compliment and went back to snuggling against him, even as tight song switched to something with a faster beat. He didn't care, and neither did Dean. 

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Jo saw it going down. She was in a better spot to see Walker taking two students through the door at the back, and she spoke the code word into the mic on her bracelet, the one that fed into both Jody and Dean's ear pieces. 

 

“ _ Poughkeepsie.” _

 

Immediately Dean was on alert. He and Cas had returned to the table and were enjoying cups of the complimentary fruit punch the school had provided when he heard her. 

 

“Hey, I have to run to the bathroom. I'll be back in a few minutes.” He announced as he stood up. Cas was engrossed in a conversation with Kevin and Molly about their D&D campaign but he gave Dean a brief smile of acknowledgment. Worrying that this was his last moment with Cas as his cover, he stole a kiss. That earned him an even bigger smile, one he happily returned before turning to walk away. It fell away quickly as he headed for the main doors and slipped out into the hall. 

 

“Hey,” Jo was at his side seconds later. He nodded and jerked his thumb in the direction of D hall, where right auto shop was.

 

“Jody is keeping an eye on Black. Once we have Walker, she'll move in. It looks like kids are approaching Black and he's sending them to Walker. She positioned herself close enough that the second mic on her watch is picking up everything the guy is saying.” Dean spoke in a hushed tone as he peered around the corner. D hall was clear so he motioned for her to follow as he started down it. He'd selected these shoes tonight for the soft soles and he didn't make a sound as they headed towards the auto shop. Even her shoes were silent. She'd adhered special rubber pieces to the bottoms earlier that afternoon, guaranteeing she'd not only be silent, but that she'd have traction on the slippery floors. Dean thought that was a genius idea. 

 

As they passed the second door that led back into the gym, he slipped his hand under his blazer and unsnapped his gun holster. Jo already had her gun drawn and when he glanced back at her he saw a look of deep concentration and alertness on her face. Good, he'd need her to cover his back. 

 

_ “You in place?” _ Gabe’s voice was tinny in his ear.

 

“Yeah. Who do you have outside the auto shop doors that lead into the parking lot?” 

 

_ “Lafitte and Turner.” _

 

“We're approaching the door now.” Dean whispered. Gabe was silent, understanding that Dean needed to focus and him talking would be nothing but a distraction. He withdrew his gun and took the safety off. One more glance back at Jo had her giving him a curt nod. Silently, he reached for the auto shop door. This was it. They were about to take down a murderer and his accomplice. He placed his hand on the doorknob. Just as he went to open the door, the side door to the gym opened and Cas walked out. 

 

“Alex?” His eyes widened when he saw the gun in Dean's hand. Dean pulled his hand back from the knob and quickly put a finger to his lips, begging him to be quiet. Cas stared wide eyed at the gun in his hands. Fuck. This night just got infinitely complicated. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, maybe two more chapters after this. 
> 
> I also meant to put this up at midnight, but I forgot. Then I fell asleep, lol. I do hope you're still enjoying the story.

Cas thankfully clamped his mouth shut, though the look of terror on his face remained. Dean wanted badly to go to him but he couldn't. He pointed towards the door, hoping his boyfriend would get the hint. 

“Say nothing!” Jo hissed at him. Cas jumped before turning and hurrying back into the gym. She shot Dean an apologetic look, knowing how much that had probably just ruined what he and Cas had. He shook his head and reached for the knob again, hoping they hadn't lost the element of surprise. 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Cas was reeling as he staggered back to the table. The look on his face put everyone at the table on instant alert. 

“Cas? What's wrong?” Charlie put a hand on his arm and he flinched under her touch. She stood up and grabbed him by the hand, dragging him towards the main doors. Once they were in the hall she spun him around so he was facing her. 

“What happened?” She demanded. He remembered Jenny's warning and winced. Should he tell Charlie what he'd seen? 

“I-I saw…”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to finish. 

“What? You saw what?”

His brain was finally catching up with what he's seen, and now he was thinking hard about it. Alex with a gun. Jenny too. Why? What would possess them to take guns and go into the auto shop? Mr. Walker. They were going after Mr. Walker. 

“Oh…fuck!” 

“What the hell, Cas? Tell me what's wrong with you!” 

She was worried, and getting scared, he could see it in her eyes. He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.   
“Alex and Jenny,”

“What about them?” She asked. 

“They have guns!”

She blinked in surprise, her mouth dropping open slightly. When she didn't say anything, he shook her enough to snap her out of it. 

“Guns. My girlfriend, has a gun. What are you saying, Cas?”

He shook his head. His brain was still trying to play catch up. 

“They had guns and they were going into the auto shop. I think… they're cops.”

She frowned and looked towards D hall. “You're kidding, right? Your joking?”

“No, I'm not joking!” He snapped. The look of fear from before returned to her face. 

“Jenny, she can't be…and Alex?”

“They've...they've been questioning us all along! They're cops and they were using us!” He kept his voice low as a couple of people walked past. The emotions running through him had him confused. He was angry, hurt, his mind spinning as he tried to figure out what exactly had been going on. 

“Because of the deaths? Is that it?” She was starting to catch up to where he was at. He nodded vigorously. 

“Yes.” He looked towards the gym doors. There were windows in them, so he let go of Charlie and went to look through them. Alex and Jenny, if that was even their real names, their mom, who he doubted was their real mother, was inside, acting as a chaperone for the dance. He could see her slowly approaching Mr. Black who was talking with a student, Ion Daniels, the resident drug addict. Mr. Black motioned subtly towards the far gym doors, the one Cas had gone out after Meg Masters had said she'd seen Dean in D hall, talking with his sister.

“Cas!” Charlie whimpered. He turned around to see her pointing down the hall where two men were heading their way. They were cops, he just knew it, even if they weren't in uniforms. The way they carried themselves just screamed “law enforcement”.

“Come on,” He grabbed her hand and pulled her around the corner into D hall. Together they peeked out and saw the cops stopping just outside the doors to the gym. 

“I don't think we should be here.” She whispered. 

“Where are we going to go? They're blocking our way out. If we walk past them now we'll look suspicious.” He whispered back. She frowned and looked down the hall towards the other door that led back into the gym. 

“We should go back inside.” She poked him in the side to get his attention, then pointed at the other door. 

“Fine. When this is over, I'm giving Alex an earful.” He grabbed her hand and together they made their way down the hall to the door that led back into the gym. Before even opening it, he turned to look at the door across the hall; the one that led into the auto shop. The sound of something heavy falling followed by a familiar voice shouting had him turning away from the gym and opening the door to the auto shop.

“What are you doing?” She mouthed the words at him as he slipped into the auto shop and immediately crouched down. To his chagrin, she followed after him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down behind the giant tool boxes that were at that end of the room. There was a commotion and he peeked around the cabinet to see Alex in a fight with Mr. Walker. The teacher had one of the big wrenches and was trying to hit Alex with it. Jenny was on the floor, crawling towards where Cas and Charlie were currently hiding. He spotted her gun and realized that was what she was going for. It was closer to him so he laid down on the floor and reached out to grab it. Jenny looked up, her brown eyes going wide as he crawled around the cabinet and ducked behind a Dodge car that the class had been working on. He moved to the end and thrust the gun out at her. 

“Thank you.” She mouthed to him. He could see blood trickling down her face, matting her blonde hair and the was a bruise forming at the right corner of her mouth. It was obvious she'd been punched, and the blood in her hair meant she'd probably been hit over the head with something heavy. Outside they could hear the steel door that led to the parking lot shaking as someone, probably more cops, Cas thought, were trying to get in. From this side he could see the door had been secured with a chain. The overhead doors were rattling as well. 

He pointed towards where Alex was still fighting Walker and she rolled onto her back and aimed her gun at the teacher, just as he raised the wrench up to bash Alex in the head. 

The sound of the gunshot reverberated in the enclosed space, and then Walker was howling in pain. The back door slammed open and cops came pouring in, tackling Walker to the floor, despite his screams of pain. Jenny sat up, groaning as she touched her head gingerly, her fingertips coming away wet with blood. Charlie crawled over to her, peeling off her dress shirt and pressing it to Jenny's head. She looked small to Cas in just her undershirt, but he knew how fierce his friend was. 

“Cas?” Alex took a staggering step towards him before falling to his knees. 

“We need a bus!” One of the cops shouted as Alex collapsed face first on the floor. All of Cas’ anger drained away, replaced by fear as he rushed to his side. 

“Back up, kid,” A gruff, older man with dark skin and hard eyes said and tried to push him away. 

“No! He's...I love him!” He shoved the man's arm away. 

“Leave him. He can stay with Dean.” 

Cas turned to see Alex-Dean’s mom (boss?) walking in. She offered him a nod and a tight lipped smile. He turned back to Dean just as paramedics arrived. 

The next 20 minutes were spent in a flurry of activity as more paramedics arrived to tend to Jenny and Mr. Walker, and Dean's unconscious form was loaded onto a gurney and carried out to a waiting ambulance. Cas jumped up into it and wouldn't let anyone tell him he couldn't. He was still angry and hurt, wondering if Dean had just been using him or if he really did have feelings for him, but those were overridden by his fear as he realized his boyfriend had been hit hard in the head, probably with that wrench, and he'd been stabbed. As the paramedics continued to work on him, he sent up a silent prayer. 

“Please let him be ok, God. I love him, please don't let him die…”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter after this, an epilogue, and then we're done. I do hope you all have been enjoying this. 

Dean was pulled back to consciousness by the horrible pounding in his head. He'd never experienced anything that awful in his life. Before he even opened his eyes he brought a hand up to gingerly touch his hairline. He hissed when he found stitches and a fresh wave of pain ripped through his head. 

 

“Stop touching that.” 

 

He cracked an eye open to see his father standing there. 

 

“I'm in the hospital?” The raspiness of his own voice surprised him and swallowing only made him feel like his tonsils were sticking to the sides of his throat. His dad had a cup of water with a straw ready for him though and he greedily drank it all down. 

 

“Yes, you're in the hospital.” John replied. Dean forced his other eye open and blinked. The motion hurt. 

 

“But we got the bastard, right? Jo shot him?” He thought he remembered a gunshot. 

 

“Yep, she shot him, he needed surgery. He's still in there. After that, he's being moved straight to the jail.” John replied. Dean gave a small nod of acknowledgement. 

 

“And Alistair Black?”

 

Jody arrested him. He put up a fight but Victor and Andy helped take him down.”

 

Dean felt an incredible sense of pride for his team.

 

“Jo, she's ok? I know he clipped her in the head with a crowbar. I managed to knock it out of his hands, but then he grabbed that wrench. He was waiting for us, knew we were outside the door. Hit me in the head soon as I came through. Then Jo swept in low and hit him in the knees, he got a swing in before she knocked him down. I remember knocking the crowbar away at that point but it was like moving underwater. My memory gets a little spotty after that.”

 

“Well, she has a concussion, but she's ok otherwise. She went down to the cafeteria with a couple kids from the high school. I think they're friends of yours.” John sunk down into the chair next to the bed and sighed. Dean stopped listening as his dad started talking about procedure and Gordon Walker going to trial. All he could think about was that Cas was here, at the hospital. He hadn't walked away. 

 

It was almost a half hour before the door opened and Jo walked in with Charlie and Cas. Dean had dozed off again with a little help from the pain meds he'd received.

 

“Has he woken up yet?” Cas asked softly. 

 

“He was awake for about 20 minutes, then the nurse came to give him some pain meds, and he was out again a few minutes later.” John replied as he stood up and stretched until his back popped. “His mama will be here soon. She was visiting her sister in Nevada and took the first flight she could get. My son Sam is picking her up at the airport and bringing her straight here. I'm going to go downstairs and wait for them.” 

 

Cas stared at Dean's sleeping face for a long time. Jo (not Jenny after all) had explained things to him and Charlie both, and he understood  _ why _ they had lied. It wasn't _ really _ lying. They were undercover and couldn't tell anyone, not even him or Charlie without endangering them. It explained all the times he'd seen conflicted looks on Dean's face, and he understood now why he'd been so hesitant to have sex. It also explained why he'd tried to avoid the subject of prom. His stomach dropped when he realized he wouldn't get to attend with Dean. 

 

Jo had assured him over and over that Dean's feeling for him were genuine and not part of his cover. He hadn't been faking their relationship. That had gone a long way towards easing some of his anger. He understood, which was more than he could say for some people he knew. Best of all, no more of his classmates would die from Angel's Kiss. They'd at least be safe from that poison, and they had Dean and Jo for that. 

 

He stroked Dean's cheek gently with the back of his hand but the man didn't stir. 

 

“They said he was stabbed.” He looked over at Jo who had gone to sit on the couch with Charlie. 

 

“Yeah, Walker was grabbing anything he could and hitting Dean. There was an Exacto knife somewhere and he got a few jabs in before Dean knocked it away. That's when he grabbed that wrench. He wasn't as strong or quick as Dean though. It was all a blur, but we had cameras in there, and they caught most of it. Jody filled me in.” She explained. 

 

Cas could see several cuts on Dean's arms, one that was bandaged, and he figured those were from the knife. He remembered seeing blood on Dean's Dead shirt. It had been almost black against his garnet colored shirt. He learned over the railing and pressed a kiss to the man's forehead. Dean groaned and his eyes fluttered a bit before opening. 

 

“Cas?”

 

“I'm here.” Cas said softly. Dean turned his head to look at him and gave a sleepy smile. 

 

“I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. We were under strict orders not to say anything to anyone outside the department. I wanted to tell you, but it would have put you in too much danger.”

 

“I know, Jo explained everything to Charlie and me. I know you weren't just using me.”

 

Dean grabbed his hand and held it clasped between both of his own. 

 

“I wasn't using you. I'm crazy about you. I went into this thinking I'd just question people, figure out who was dealing and who was manufacturing, and then arrest them. But then you spoke to me that first day and I just...I wanted to get to know you better. You were drop dead gorgeous, and so sweet. I don't regret anything between us.”

 

Cas smiled, the last of his worries melting away. He leaned over the railing and kissed him. 

 

“How old are you, anyway?”

 

“I'm 22.” Dean replied. 

 

“You're doing undercover jobs at only 22?” Cas was shocked by that. 

 

“I graduated high school early and finished college early so I could join the force that much sooner. I've been a cop longer than Jo, even though she's a year older than me.” Dean explained. 

 

“You're 23?” Charlie cried. Jo giggled while Dean and Cas both smiled. 

 

“So now what? You return to your job, forget about all this?” Cas tried not to let it show on his face how much that thought hurt. Dean squeezed bos hand tighter. 

 

“Cas, I couldn't forget about you when if I wanted to. I-I'm falling in love with you. I don't want things between us to end. We'll have to start over though, so you can get to know the real me.”

 

“I'm looking forward to that. I've learned a little already. Like the fact that your parents  _ aren't  _ actually divorced, and you have a brother, not a sister.”

 

Dean nodded. “Sammy is your age. He's leaving for Stanford in August. My folks have been married 25 years this October. Dad's a cop, mom's a legal secretary.”

 

“We have time to learn more about each other.” Cas told him. He was happy to see the smile on his boyfriend's face. 

 

“Yeah, we definitely do.”

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Cas got to meet Dean's brother and mom a short time later. Sam was friendly and struck up a conversation with him while their mom fussed over Dean. He liked Sam, and was surprised by how much they had in common. 

 

Mary Winchester was sweet and while she was surprised to learn that her son was in a relationship, especially with a high school student, she quickly warmed up to the idea once she got to talking with Cas. John just wanted to know that Cas was over 18. 

 

Dean dozed on and off, thanks to the pain meds, and they were talking about releasing him the following morning. Eventually Cas and Charlie both left. They needed to check in with their own families, shower, change, and get some sleep. Dean was sad to see Cas go, but he'd promised to return in the morning. For now, he had his family fussing over him, and that was enough to drive anyone nuts.

 

He managed to convince his parents to go home for the night, though Sam insisted on staying. Jo went home as well. Bobby stopped by to tell him how proud he was, which had Dean preening a little bit, and then the sun set. As night fell over the hospital and things became quiet, he took some time to reflect on the past few weeks. They'd managed to take not only a drug manufacturer off the streets, but a dealer as well. Even with Cas and Charlie in their lives, they'd stayed on task, solved the case, and kids everywhere would be safe now. No more Angel's Kiss. Bobby had informed him during his brief visit that Walker and Black’s homes had been searched, and Walker had a literal lab in his basement where he was making the drugs. The son of a bitch was going away for a long,  _ long _ time. 

 

Feeling satisfied and happier than he had in years, Dean closed his eyes and let sleep pull him under again. He could afford to have his mind taken off his injuries for a while. 


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everyone, the epilogue. We are done with this story. No, there will not be any further continuation of this one. I do hope you like how I chose to end it.

**_Seven Years Later~_ **

 

“Dean! Your man's here!” Victor yelled. Dean looked up from where he'd been typing out his latest report and frowned. 

 

“You couldn't come tell me that?”

 

Victor grinned. “Nope.”

 

Dean locked his computer and got up from his desk, taking a second to stretch before heading for the door. Their police station wasn't the biggest but it kept their town safe. He passed the other desks and stepped out into the hall. There were people gathered, chatting away and one of them was his boyfriend. 

 

“Hey, baby, what brings you by?” He slid past Victor and Jo to give Cas a kiss. 

 

“This.” Cas held out a sheet of paper to him, so he took it and read it. 

 

“No way, for real?” He asked excitedly as he looked up to see his boyfriend nodding. 

 

“I start work Monday. I'll be local and we can get married, like we talked about.”

 

Dean swept him up in his arms and spun him around in a circle as he kissed him senseless. 

 

“That's my baby, getting his dream job!”

 

“You got the nursing job?” Jo snatched the paper out of Dean's hands and read it. Victor leaned over to read it with her. 

 

“You're a nurse practitioner? Damn, that's impressive.” Victor said. 

 

“Cas is so smart. He doubled up on his coursework his first few years of school and graduated with his B.A. early. He whipped through his master's and got licensed a few months back.” Dean explained proudly. Cas just smiled adoringly at him. 

 

Since first meeting in Cas’ senior year of high school, they had been told by just about everyone that the odds of them making a go of a real relationship and having it last were next to nil. They underestimated both Dean and Cas. Not only did they stay together, but they were even more in love now than either of them had thought possible. Cas chalked it up to the fact that they were both mature and willing to fight for what they had. Dean thought it was because there were absolutely no secrets between them. 

 

He set Cas back on his feet and kissed him soundly on the lips. 

 

“Well, we can't get married just yet.” He said as he stepped back. 

 

“Why not?” Cas asked. “I think I've waited long enough.”

 

Dean dropped to one knee, drawing the attention of everyone milling about. Jo gasped behind him and there was a soft “I'll be damned” from Victor. Cas was staring wide eyed at Dean, one hand covering his mouth as he watched his boyfriend reach into his pocket and pull out a small, black velvet, box. 

 

“Because we might have talked about getting married, but I was waiting for your good news before I actually proposed. Cas, you're the love of my life and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Will you marry me?”

 

Cas nodded as he leaned down to kiss Dean. “Yes, of course I'll marry you!”

 

Cheers erupted all around them and they could see that people from all over the station were watching and clapping for them. Dean opened the box and took the ring out. 

 

“It's beautiful,” Cas held his hand out so it could be slipped on. 

 

“I saved up two years for it, but you're worth it, sweetheart.” Dean got back to his feet and kissed him again. 

 

“We're engaged! Like for real!” Cas held his hand up and marveled over the ring and what it represented. 

 

“You are going to have  _ so _ many bridesmaids,” Dean joked. Cas laughed and nodded. There was no way he could get away with _ not _ having his sisters stand up at his wedding. Charlie too.

 

“I better be part of your wedding party.” Jo smiled as she hugged each of them. “Congrats, guys.”

 

“Thank you, and of course you will be! I just don't know how all that will work out. I'll leave it up to my sisters. They'll want to take control anyway.” Cas laughed. Dean nodded in agreement. 

 

“They really will.”

 

“What's the ruckus going on out here?” Bobby came waking over, looking gruff and irritable as ever. 

 

“Cas got the job at Douglas Hospital. He's going to be up in neurology.” Dean replied proudly. Bobby’s expression softened slightly and he nodded in Cas’ direction. 

 

“That's great news. Congratulations.”

 

Cas was beaming as Dean kissed his temple. 

“Thank you.”

 

“I asked him to marry me too.” Dean held out Cas’ hand and Bobby leaned closer to get a look. 

 

“It's about damn time. You two have been together what, eight, nine years now?”

 

Cas snickered and shook his head. “Seven years.”

 

“Huh. Seems longer with all the doe eyes you two keep giving each other.” Dean grinned as he wrapped an around Cas’ waist. They knew Bobby was just teasing. 

 

“I'm going to tell mom.” Jo had her phone out and was already texting her mother. Bobby rolled his eyes. That meant his wife would demand pictures and it would be all she talked about for the next few months. 

 

“You best tell your folks, before my gossipy wife opens her mouth.”

 

“I'll call mom and dad in a minute.” Dean couldn't take his eyes off Cas. He was _ engaged _ . He'd known a year into their relationship that Cas was the one for him. They just clicked so well together. Even with work, school, and everything life tried to throw at them, they had stuck together. Even their families had come to realize they weren't just two ships passing in the night. They were in love, truly, madly, deeply in love, and he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with Cas. They'd recently bought a house and had started talking about getting married. This was a natural next step. 

 

“I have to go fill paperwork out at the hospital. What do you say we celebrate and go out to dinner tonight?” Cas asked, pulling him out of his happy thoughts.

 

“Sounds great, babe. I'll be home around six.”

 

He kissed Cas one more time before watching him walk away. 

 

“I can't believe you're engaged. Lucky bastard.” Jo punched him in the arm playfully. 

 

“I'm ridiculously happy right now. I don't even mind that I have reports to write.” Dean said as they walked back to their desks. After their first case working together, Bobby had decided to make them partners. They continued to work well together. Their desks were across from one another and she shook her head fondly as she watched Dean pick up the picture of him and Cas at prom. He'd gotten special permission from the school to be able to take Cas, and he'd managed to make it so Jo could go with Charlie. They'd had an incredible night of dancing, socializing, and later, she'd learned that Dean and Cas had taken their relationship to the next level that night. It was another three months before she'd felt comfortable being that intimidate with Charlie but once they had, she'd regretted waiting. 

 

Her relationship with Charlie hadn't been all that long, barely 9 months, but they'd remained friends. Jody, on the other hand had shocked  everyone when she'd started dating the school secretary, Donna. They were still together too, and happy as ever. 

 

“I knew I loved him before we even solved that case.” He said. 

 

“I know. You guys have something special. I think…that's what Ash and I have now.  I love him, more than I've ever loved anyone.” She smiled as she thought about her boyfriend of the last three years. 

 

“I think you're right. I'm happy for you.” He told her. She met his gaze and smiled back.

 

“I'm happy for you too. Now hurry and call your mom, before my mom beats you to it.”

  
He laughed as he pulled his phone out. He couldn't _ wait _ to share his good news! 

**Author's Note:**

> A new and better collage is coming from LadyPoly. She's a much better collage creator than me. Stay tuned for that too. Thank you for reading.


End file.
